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OCTOBER 1998
<br />
<br />AMEI~ICAN
<br />PLANNINO
<br />ASSOCIATION
<br />
<br />Centripetal Forces:·
<br />Town Centers are Back
<br />
<br /> By Michad Davidson
<br />
<br /> ~l~l~ne of the oldest planning concepts in the book--the town
<br /> ~'center--has proved once again to be a valuable community
<br /> asset. Nurturing that strategically placed center can pay a
<br /> community heavy economic, social, and cultural dividends. Some
<br /> communities around the country, many of them modern suburbs,
<br /> are essentially scrambling to design and develop' what ancient
<br /> civilizations did thousands of years ago. Linear commercial strips
<br /> and downtown districts that cater exdusively to the automobile
<br /> have forced planners and residents alike to reflect on what makes
<br /> communities attractive to businesses, homebuyers, and vislmrs.
<br /> This issue of Zoning News
<br /> does not dwell on the design
<br /> oversights or zoning mistakes
<br /> of the typical American
<br /> community. Rather, the focus
<br /> will be on how a simple
<br /> planning nuance can breathe
<br /> new life into the community.
<br /> What exactly is a town center?
<br /> Is zoning a factor in
<br /> determining the success of this
<br /> community gathering place?
<br /> How can the ordinance be
<br /> used to influence its design
<br /> and location?
<br /> The State Plan of New /ersey
<br /> broadly defines town center
<br />
<br />interchangeably with town
<br />square) as a place with Wa high
<br />investment in public facilities
<br />and services, several
<br />neighborhoods with a highly
<br />diverse housing stock, and a
<br />central core of retail, office,
<br />and community facilities." The
<br />plan designates town centers as
<br />"traditional centers of
<br />commerce and government,"
<br />and states that they "do not necessarily refer to the form of
<br />incorporation ora municipality." For example, the new Village
<br />Center in Reston, Virginia, equipped with a 40,000-square-foot
<br />pedestrian plaza, is under no immediate municipal control.
<br />Fairfax County sets the land-use policies for this largely
<br />successful mixed-use venture.
<br /> The 1995 Central Square Improvements Project of
<br />Cambridge, Massachusetts, takes the definition ora town center
<br />a step or two further by embracing the idea that such a place
<br />should feel "welcome and safe" for pedestrians and cyclists, and
<br />that it should "express its multJcultural life."
<br />
<br /> Mercer Island, Washington, meets the land-use
<br /> objectives of the comprehensive plan by
<br /> establishing specific subareas for the town center
<br />· district, including mixed use, residential, office,
<br /> and others,
<br />
<br /> Without a doubt, this specialized and highly unique area of
<br />town is a microcosm of what happens in the much larger world
<br />beyond its boundaries. Ideally, the events within a town center
<br />will unfold in a manner that should reflect the community at
<br />large. Town center patrons can efficiently accomplish a number
<br />of tasks with time remaining to attend church services and
<br />socialize or relax in the green space at the center's nucleus. To
<br />embark upon such a day without the stresses brought on by
<br />traffic or other modern aggravations remains an elusive goal in
<br />today's harried communities.
<br />
<br /> The Doctrine of Use Segregation
<br /> Not all town centers have met the objectives established by city
<br /> planners. Many that succeeded initially later were faced with
<br /> underuse and subsequent deterioration. What Randall Arendt calls
<br /> the "doctrine of use segregation" in Ruralby Design (Planners Press
<br /> 1994) is a well-intended but often unfortunate
<br /> zoning pattern employed in recent decades by
<br /> communities nationwide. Designed to protect
<br /> communities, the separation of land into single-use
<br /> districts has achieved some desirable benefits but
<br /> also presented new problems including traffic
<br /> impacts. One now needs a car to go from the post
<br /> office to the grocery store or from the library to the
<br /> local bookstore. The consequent expansion of
<br /> expressways has resulted in a rebirth of mixed-use
<br /> zoning to reduce logistical burdens on town
<br /> residents and the wear and tear on highway
<br /> infrastructure.
<br /> The development of any town center ideally
<br /> includes a mix of commercial, institutional or
<br /> civic, residential, and open public gathering
<br /> spaces. Arendt argues that the proper mix of uses
<br /> is essential for a town center to function
<br /> · successfully and attract people after hours. A
<br /> 1995 survey in Englewood, Florida, found that
<br /> 80 percent of respondents preferred a town
<br /> center with a mixture of residential, commercial,
<br /> and office uses to segregated zoning.
<br /> Village Galleria in La Jolla, California, has
<br />gained local popularity by incorporating residential
<br />living spaces into the town center area's design. La
<br />Jolla allows dwelling units above retail shops and
<br />service establishments such as banks. Similarly,
<br />Bainbridge Island, Washington, approved the
<br />construction of 34 dwelling units atop a 20,000-square-foot retail
<br />complex on a downtown corner. The site rests strategically behind a
<br />half-acre "common." The Rockville, Maryland, ordinance states
<br />specifically that all developments in the town center planning area
<br />must contain a "mix of uses, including at least residential, office,
<br />and commercial components."
<br /> Not all town squares have used such a diverse mixed-use
<br />approach. The nearly complete Village Centre in Woodridge,
<br />Illinois, mixes civic and open space uses, including a new village
<br />hall, village library, p~blic services building, and limited open
<br />space with landscaping and seating along the .periphery. The
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