Community By Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

More than 50% of Americans live in suburban and exurban communities, and populations are increasing as more people seek green spaces, better access to education, retirement living and homeownership. Yet these communities, with smaller budgets an no long-term growth planning, are unprepared for the problems – traffic congestion, poor air quality, and strip malls, to name a few – that are now plaguing them. “Community by Design”, authored by two specialists in suburban and exurban design and development, shows how to apply good planning practices to these smaller communities The book identifies the key elements and styles of communities and shows how to implement them in residential, commercial and recreational areas. The graphical presentation takes the reader clearly through every stage of the design and development process, and case studies utilize a problem-solution format, showing how to fix typical suburban problems such as pedestrian access, lack of parking, industrial-park eyesores, and reinforcement of community “sense of place”.

Author Biography

Kenneth B. Hall, Jr. ASLA is a landscape architect with the award-winning firm Hanbury Evans Newill Vlattas & Company in Norfolk, Virginia where he specializes in community planning. He holds a B.S. in history from the University of Montevallo and a master’s in landscape architecture from Virginia Tech. He has published a variety of articles focusing on issues related to community design. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Congress for New Urbanism. Gerald A. Porterfield is the President of the Porterfield Design Center based in Chesapeake, Virginia. He holds a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from West Virginia University and is a member of the Urban Land Institute as well as the American Planning Association. He is a frequent speaker on land development issues. Gerald A. Porterfield is the President of the Porterfield Design Center based in Chesapeake, Virginia. He holds a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from West Virginia University and is a member of the Urban Land Institute as well as the American Planning Association. He is a frequent speaker on land development issues.