tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post1019258848835617597..comments2024-01-22T12:33:34.115-08:00Comments on Pedestrianist: Density and Pedestrianism Go Hand-In-HandPedestrianisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03067236246319422235noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post-89651121225127240672009-07-15T22:04:58.714-07:002009-07-15T22:04:58.714-07:00Maybe "Macris' Fallacy?"
To be clea...Maybe "Macris' Fallacy?"<br /><br />To be clear, I'm not down on high-rise buildings in and of themselves. But building height has much less to do with the walkability (and therefore its livability, ability to attract residents and realize density, and green gred) of a neighborhood or city than the factors mentioned above.<br /><br />So arguments that we all hear so often that new development needs to be tall to be dense to be green should be reexamined.<br /><br />I particularly resent dismissals of various objections to high rises as NIMBYism when they're really honest appeals to consider the factors above.Pedestrianisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067236246319422235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post-35203173354430048732009-07-15T17:37:08.745-07:002009-07-15T17:37:08.745-07:00All that said, I visited Vancouver last year, whic...All that said, I visited Vancouver last year, which is often touted as an exemplar of the green high rise city. The high rise neighborhoods are thoughtfully designed, with pedestrian-scaled street-fronting retail storefronts and townhouses, and well-designed streets and public spaces.<br /><br />Low-rise to mid-rise and moderate- to high-density is the city form I prefer, and I don't want to see Vancouver-style high rises everywhere, but we have a lot to learn from Vancouver about how to create better high-rise residential neighborhoods, should we choose to build more of them.Tom Radulovichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18027716908676707147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post-30493708358129094982009-07-15T17:24:12.947-07:002009-07-15T17:24:12.947-07:00I think that Metcalfe's Fallacy, as Marc Salom...I think that Metcalfe's Fallacy, as Marc Salomon typically frames it, refers to the notion that by building enough high-rise condominiums in Downtown San Francisco, we can prevent starter tract-home developments in Tracy.<br /><br />Perhaps the dense = high rise fallacy deserves its own moniker.Tom Radulovichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18027716908676707147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post-50038748445519445062009-07-15T16:58:24.180-07:002009-07-15T16:58:24.180-07:00Thanks for the comment and the clarification! I c...Thanks for the comment and the clarification! I certainly support Livable City's work on this issue, toward extending "these sensible controls more widely."<br /><br />My own personal aim is to point out that much of the dialogue - at least on the blogosphere - is dominated by people who are just as "enamored with modernist high rises and blingy 'starchitecture'" as those unnamed planners and advocacy groups.<br /><br />The planning code is indeed moving in the right direction, but that could change if support for further progress is weakened by constant repetition of tall = dense (what I've heard called "<a href="http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=8792" rel="nofollow">Metcalfe's Fallacy</a>.")Pedestrianisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067236246319422235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post-3067216517102662482009-07-15T11:58:38.583-07:002009-07-15T11:58:38.583-07:00Fortunately, Fiske's traits for livable neighb...Fortunately, Fiske's traits for livable neighborhoods have made it into recent amendments to the planning code for several San Francisco neighborhoods:<br />* High density. Recently adopted zoning districts, including the Residential Transit-Oriented (RTO), Neighborhood Commercial - Transit (NCT), Downtown Residential (DTR) the Eastern Neighborhoods mixed-use districts get rid of strict density limits. Instead of limiting density, the code relies on existing controls on building height, bulk, setbacks, open space, and dwelling unit exposure to maintain livability.<br />* Low-rise. With some notable exceptions (Van Ness and Market), allowable building heights were increased only modestly in most of the Mission, SoMa, Hayes Valley, and Upper Market, and chiefly on commercial streets. Heights in residential zones were mostly left unchanged. Alleyway height controls were added to scale buildings appropriately to street widths on the narrowest streets.<br />* Smaller linear scale of buildings, blocks, streets: design guidelines in the new zoning districts call for ground floor spaces in large buildings to be divided into smaller storefronts. Parking entrances are restricted in size, and parking must be hidden from view behind storefronts or housing. In parts of Rincon Hill, large residential buildings are to be broken up into townhouse-style units where they front residential streets. San Francisco's planning code lack rules for subdividing larger lots and blocks into smaller ones. I advocated for a change, but no upper limits were set on the dimensions of city blocks.<br />* More and smaller units in those buildings: eliminating density controls allows more and smaller units, although most new zoning districts also require that 40% of units be of two or more bedrooms to create a mix of unit sizes.<br />* High vertical ground level spaces: NCT, DTR, and Eastern Neighborhoods mixed use districts require ground floor spaces be at least 12-15 feet. Lots of ground-floor transparency is required on commercial streets, and parking must be hidden from view. In the Downtown, ground floor parking must have 15' floor-to-ceiling height, be wrapped in active uses on all public frontages, and designed to allow straightforward conversion to other uses in the future.<br />* Mixture of uses in close proximity: With a few exceptions, the new zoning districts generally allow a greater mix of uses than the ones they replaced. For example, RTO, while chiefly residential, allows small corner stores like one sees in older residential neighborhoods across the city.<br />Some planners and advocacy groups are quite enamored with modernist high rises and blingy 'starchitecture', but the good news is that the simple, perennial patterns which make great buildings and urban neighborhoods in San Francisco and other cities have made their way into San Francisco's planning code.<br />The goal of Livable City is to extend these sensible controls more widely; they currently apply only in parts of SoMa, the Mission, Upper Market, and Balboa Park.Tom Radulovichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18027716908676707147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post-2788468017071403332009-06-24T11:08:01.848-07:002009-06-24T11:08:01.848-07:00Very good point, and along the lines of what I'...Very good point, and along the lines of what I'm saying.<br /><br />Often when density and sustainable/infill development is proposed we hear a chorus of height = density = walkability. I don't think that's true.<br /><br />Height may be important to a developer's bottom line, but it has very little impact on the resulting mixture of uses or walkability and ultimate success of the area.<br /><br />FWIW building footprint size is also important to a developer's bottom line, but because it has a large impact on the success of the space I'd argue that it's in cities' best interests to regulate them.Pedestrianisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067236246319422235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511182286834112345.post-9299602345873746752009-06-23T22:14:33.788-07:002009-06-23T22:14:33.788-07:00I don't think the height of those buildings is...I don't think the height of those buildings is exactly the problem. The megablock, not enough retail, and the roads they are on play a big role as well.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15689928015042507584noreply@blogger.com