A down-to-Earth approach to great neighborhoods

In 2007, Julie Campoli coathored a book called Visualizing Density with pilot and photographer Alex MacLean. Published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Visualizing Density helped make the case for dense, compact, communities — exclusively from a bird’s eye perspective. Philip Langdon’s review in New Urban News, while mostly positive, faulted the book for sticking to aerial photos. “The Lincoln Institute is kidding itself if it thinks that people can distinguish good development from bad mostly by peering down from the sky,” he said.

Not to worry. Campoli has produced a visually stunning book that is photographed entirely from ground level — and the result is successful and fresh, distinct and absorbing. I’ve pored through scores of books on urban design that make similar points on walkability and urban design. I couldn’t put Made for Walking down. My to-do list had to wait.

Made for Walking starts by mapping the daily lives of three families: the first living in a distant suburb, the second in a closer-in suburb, and the third in a transit-oriented neighborhood. The impact of density on travel distance and access is dramatic. Two short chapters then deal with principles and details of walkable neighborhoods — these are well-illustrated but break no new territory. Made for Walking gets really interesting in its case studies of 12 urban neighborhoods of approximately 100-150 acres each. They are:

• LoDo and the Central Platte Valley, Denver, Colorado
• Short North, Columbus, Ohio
• Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Flamingo Park, Miami Beach, Florida
• Little Portugal, Toronto, Ontario
• Eisenhower East, Alexandria, Virginia
• The Pearl District, Portland, Oregon
• Downtown and Raynolds Addition, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York
• Little Italy, San Diego, California
• Cambridgeport, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Old Pasadena, Pasadena, California

In these examples, the book offers a recipe for creating great urbanism in the 21st Century. Take a neighborhood with good bones and historic buildings. Fill in the gaps with New Urbanism and contextual infill development. Reinforce the good urban form and eliminate the gaps in the urban fabric. Provide a strong mix of uses and many ways to get around (walking, transit, bicycling, in addition to cars). Mix in appropriately scaled, well-designed public spaces and green spaces. The result is a dynamic neighborhood that will draw new residents, businesses, and visitors and generate culture and economic activity.

What you won’t find

Three characteristics are generally absent from these neighborhoods. One is an abundance of parking. In contrast to many downtowns riddled with parking lots, buildings in these neighborhoods form continuous frontages. Parking is skillfully hidden in mid-block parking lots and structures or on the street — the latter slows down traffic and protects pedestrians.

Also lacking is flamboyant architecture. These neighborhoods don’t need Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, or Zaha Hadid. A few modern object buildings would not do great damage, but these places are “cool” without them. New buildings range from traditional and semi-traditional to modern, but the architecture doesn’t cry out for attention. Buildings new and old do take on regional flavor in the case studies — you know where you are in Albuquerque, San Diego, Miami, Vancouver, or New York.

Big projects are in short supply. These neighborhoods don’t need stadiums, convention centers, or even fantastic projects like the High Line in Manhattan to succeed. The blueprint for success is eminently doable, even in smaller cities like Columbus, Ohio.

Made for Walking zeroes in on the real action in North American real estate. The dozen case studies are among hundreds of such neighborhoods scattered throughout nearly every metro area in the US and Canada. If you include neighborhoods that have begun revitalization, the number is probably in the thousands. These places are where young adults are flocking, Baby Boomers are retiring, and people visit for food, culture, and just to walk.

The case studies have followed a similar arc. They were thriving industrial places in the early 20th Century and went through slow decline for decades as industry left. Decline took a toll on the urban pattern as buildings were torn down and others were left derelict. But sometime around the turn of this century they came roaring back to life.

The role of New Urbanism

New Urbanism has played a substantial role. Many of these dozen include sizable new urban developments. The Pearl District in Portland, Oregon, downtown Albuquerque with its Alvarado development, old Pasadena with the Del Mar transit village, the Carlyle project in the Eisenhower East section of Alexandria, the University Park District in Cambridgeport, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and LoDo and Central Platte Valley, Denver, all offer significant New Urbanism. The New Urbanism isn’t, usually, as interesting architecturally as the old — but it offers more varied public spaces. It blends in, and adds value to the neighborhood. Apart from larger new urban projects, good quality infill buildings have contributed mightily to the charm, population, and economic vitality of all 12 neighborhoods. New urbanist ideas applied to streetscapes, transportation planning, public spaces, codes, building design, and vision plans have influenced the revitalization.

In many cases, it’s had to tell by reading the book and looking at the photographs what is new and what is old. Campoli might have done a better job helping the reader to make distinctions in this regard, because how the new integrates with, and supports, the old is a key to the success of every neighborhood profiled. But that’s a minor complaint.

Although you can find up-and-coming neighborhoods with similar qualities across North America, the neighborhoods featured are unusually good. The case studies are illustrated and written about in a clear and illuminating way.

Creative use of illustrations

Campoli uses to maximum advantage photo technology that stitches together images. Such images are run across the tops of two-page spreads throughout the book, providing 23-inch-wide photos that give readers the sense of being on the street. I wish I could provide an example here.

For fans of urban geography, the maps are glorious: Buildings and neighborhood patterns, street, pedestrian, and transit networks, locations of shops and services, green spaces and more are illuminated by simple, easy-to-understand maps.

With Made for Walking, Campoli has captured the zeitgeist of urbanism today. Architecture and urban planning is no longer about “projects.” It’s about integrating new and old into a dynamic place. This book will help public officials, developers, planners, and champions of cities and towns raise the quality and vitality of the built environment.

Made for Walking is published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2012, 176 pp., paperbound $50.