Density by Design
What is it about density that makes it such a bugaboo? In just about any newspaper report about development other than a single-family subdivision, the opponents cite density as an evil. No doubt this reflects the suburban prejudice in favor of roominess. And poor examples – ugly 'deficiency apartments’ as preservationists describe them or so-called ‘townhouses’ that are all garages and paving with no town in sight – may come to everyone’s mind.
But traditional urbanism, of the sort that people revel in on visits to Charleston or New Orleans or any town or city in Europe, was built on density. And in the movement toward being green or sustainable, the benefits of urban location cannot be denied. Manhattan, by far, is the greenest city in the U.S. based on walking, transportation and the inherent efficiencies of dense, common-wall building.
DesignAlabama has previously reported on the revival of tighter, walking-precinct development patterns championed under the new urbanism movement. In this survey, “Density-by-Design,” we look at four places across the state where steps are being taken to permit and even encourage compact development. Combined with mixed-use, good planning and design is the key to success in: Downtown Homewood, Downtown Mobile, Birmingham’s Highland Park Neighborhood and The Village at Auburn University.
