Fundamentals of a Good City
By Bruce Liedstrand
1. In-ness. Buildings shape the space of the streets and other public places so that a person feels comfortable in the city, not outside looking at a series of objects.
2. Intensity. A good city has intense enough development to support a rich urban life.
3. Diversity. A good city includes diverse ages, cultures and economic levels.
4. Public Realm. A good city has a rich public realm that serves as the community's common living room.
5. Centers. Good things are clustered in city centers and neighborhood centers, rather than being distributed randomly throughout the city.
6. Convenience. Everyday services are located conveniently close.
7. Walkability. Walking is a pleasurable experience that gives access to places and services.
8. Access. A person has convenient access to places and services without being dependent upon access to a private car. This is not an opposition to cars, as cars are a useful transportation tool. But good cities don't make people depend on having access to a car.
9. Street Network. A good city has an interconnected, small-block street network that provides multiple access and egress points and helps disburse traffic.
10. Community Services. Education, police and fire protection, power, water, wastewater, communication and public transportation.
http://www.walkablestreets.com/city.htm
1. A livable city has walkable, mixed use, higher-density, mixed-income neighborhoods where it is a pleasant, short walk to a store, an office, a transit stop, a friends' house, a school or a park.
2. A livable city has vibrant, exciting, sociable, charming, human-scaled pedestrian experiences.
3. A livable city has little or no wide, multi-lane, high-speed highway and road infrastructure within its central area. And few, if any, one-way streets, strip commercial development or cul-de-sacs.
4. A livable city has modest, traffic-calmed, tree-lined streets with on-street parking. Few, if any, roads are larger than 3 lanes in size.
5. A livable city has high-quality public squares and public parks.
6. A livable city has quality, locally-owned cuisine -- some of which feature outdoor cafes found on a vibrant sidewalk.
7. A livable city has quality transit. The service is frequent and easy to use.
8. A livable city has a quality nightlife. The city does not close down at 5 pm.
9. A livable city has quality bicycle and pedestrian facilities and a large number of bicyclists and pedestrians. Life without a car is perfectly possible and enjoyable.
10. A livable city has little in the way of surface parking -- particularly FREE off-street parking.
11. A livable city has a compact downtown full of higher-density housing and diverse retail.
12. A livable city has quality culture (entertainment, speeches, arts, etc.) and a quality university.
13. A livable city has a high degree of civic pride, and a tradition of working to protect their unique, treasured features.
14. A livable city has magnificent historic architecture.
15. A livable city has little in the way of excruciating, infuriating noise pollution (screaming emergency sirens, leaf blowers, vacuum trucks, helicopters, etc., are under control).
http://www.walkablestreets.com/livable.htm
By Bruce Liedstrand
1. In-ness. Buildings shape the space of the streets and other public places so that a person feels comfortable in the city, not outside looking at a series of objects.
2. Intensity. A good city has intense enough development to support a rich urban life.
3. Diversity. A good city includes diverse ages, cultures and economic levels.
4. Public Realm. A good city has a rich public realm that serves as the community's common living room.
5. Centers. Good things are clustered in city centers and neighborhood centers, rather than being distributed randomly throughout the city.
6. Convenience. Everyday services are located conveniently close.
7. Walkability. Walking is a pleasurable experience that gives access to places and services.
8. Access. A person has convenient access to places and services without being dependent upon access to a private car. This is not an opposition to cars, as cars are a useful transportation tool. But good cities don't make people depend on having access to a car.
9. Street Network. A good city has an interconnected, small-block street network that provides multiple access and egress points and helps disburse traffic.
10. Community Services. Education, police and fire protection, power, water, wastewater, communication and public transportation.
http://www.walkablestreets.com/city.htm
1. A livable city has walkable, mixed use, higher-density, mixed-income neighborhoods where it is a pleasant, short walk to a store, an office, a transit stop, a friends' house, a school or a park.
2. A livable city has vibrant, exciting, sociable, charming, human-scaled pedestrian experiences.
3. A livable city has little or no wide, multi-lane, high-speed highway and road infrastructure within its central area. And few, if any, one-way streets, strip commercial development or cul-de-sacs.
4. A livable city has modest, traffic-calmed, tree-lined streets with on-street parking. Few, if any, roads are larger than 3 lanes in size.
5. A livable city has high-quality public squares and public parks.
6. A livable city has quality, locally-owned cuisine -- some of which feature outdoor cafes found on a vibrant sidewalk.
7. A livable city has quality transit. The service is frequent and easy to use.
8. A livable city has a quality nightlife. The city does not close down at 5 pm.
9. A livable city has quality bicycle and pedestrian facilities and a large number of bicyclists and pedestrians. Life without a car is perfectly possible and enjoyable.
10. A livable city has little in the way of surface parking -- particularly FREE off-street parking.
11. A livable city has a compact downtown full of higher-density housing and diverse retail.
12. A livable city has quality culture (entertainment, speeches, arts, etc.) and a quality university.
13. A livable city has a high degree of civic pride, and a tradition of working to protect their unique, treasured features.
14. A livable city has magnificent historic architecture.
15. A livable city has little in the way of excruciating, infuriating noise pollution (screaming emergency sirens, leaf blowers, vacuum trucks, helicopters, etc., are under control).
http://www.walkablestreets.com/livable.htm
