Urban Design and Livability

1. Urban Design and Livability City of Sacramento Planning Academy March 16, 2016 Bruce Monighan AIA Urban Design Manager, City of Sacramento

2. How do we define cities in their characteristics of livability? Livability is the concept of a city where the physical environment supports a healthy, inclusive and productive lifestyle. The city as a place for people where quality of life is enhanced through diversity, engagement, opportunity, flexibility, and place. How well a city works for everyone includes many diverse qualities such as employment, housing, an absence of crime, quality schools and public services as well as transportation options, neighborhood services, open space, events, recreation and entertainment. How do we define cities in their characteristics of livability?

3. Urban Design considers the totality of the physical environment People Planning Urban Design Architecture "First life, then spaces, then buildings – the other way around never works.” -Jan Gehl, Professor Urban Design, School of Architecture Copenhagen, Denmark around never works.” around never works.”

4. How you interact with a city, and define livability is a matter of proximity, scale and touch • Home – block – neighborhood – district - city • Scale and appropriateness of scale • Privacy vs engagement in the public realm • Quiet - Active - Noise

5. Home – block – neighborhood – district - city

6. Scale and appropriateness of scale

7. Privacy vs engagement in the public realm

8. Quiet - active - Noise

9. Essential elements • Diversity – buildings, places events and people • Designed to support the needs of diverse groups including children, the elderly, the disabled, single adults, and families. • Employment opportunities • Housing availability • Provisions for housing affordability

10. Essential elements • Quality of schools • Walkable streets • Quality of public services, • Community events • Safety, absence of crime • Support services; groceries, personal • services, local shops Patterns and

11. The built environment • Diversity; building ages, types, styles and scale • Diversity in residential; ownership and rental, micro, small and family • Continuity, connection, unity • Quality and character of public spaces, as well as of its built form. • Inviting streets; walkable, shade, places of rest, sidewalk width, trees, landscaping

12. Diversity; building ages, types, styles and scale • Diversity in residential; ownership and rental, micro, small and family

13. Continuity, connection, unity How do we think about compatibility within existing neighborhoods? Continuity, connection, unity is not emulation of a historic style in a neighborhood. We need to think wider than “pattern book” design solutions. People pick places to live for all the reasons we are talking about tonight and location, safety, schools or activities often win out over design. It is for this reason we see a constant change of styles for changing times and taste and family needs. Continuity, connection, unity can be felt many ways; lot size, consistent setbacks, landscaping, sidewalks, bulk control, rhythm, roofs, pattern and materials. We tend to feel more comfortable in consistency. The balance then is between emulation and continuity of a neighborhoods’ life.

14. Quality and character of public spaces, as well as of its built form. • Inviting streets; walkable, shade, places of rest, sidewalk width, trees, landscaping

15. The built environment • Block size, scale of buildings • Building engagement to pedestrians and the street • Widths of sidewalks, sidewalk amenities; bicycle parking, benches, landscaping, lighting, paving signage • Accessible open space • Preservation of the past; historic buildings, places and events • Infill development in the urban core

16. Building engagement to pedestrians and the street Widths of sidewalks, sidewalk amenities; bicycle parking, benches, landscaping, lighting, paving signage Widths of streets, traffic speed

17. Preservation of the past; historic buildings, places and events

18. Infill development in the urban core

19. Movement in a city • Barriers to movement – traffic, lack of walks or wide walks and bike paths, areas of crime • Connectivity – walkable, bikeable, transportation options • Convenient access to systems – transit, pedestrian and bicycle access;

20. Amenities that make life complete • Recreation, active and passive • Parks, plazas, social spaces • Libraries • Local shops and services • Entertainment • Night life/24 hour activity

21. Recreation, active and passive Parks, plazas, social spaces

22. Libraries Local shops and services

23. Entertainment Night life/24 hour activity

24. All the other stuff that has to happen and you don’t notice it unless it is not working • Waste – trash, recycle and yard waste • Electricity, water, sewer and drainage • Protection from natural disasters • Minimal pollution