Urban Theory Readings

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Garrett
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Urban Theory Readings

Post by Garrett »

Figured I'd make a list of urban planning and theory readings, along with links that come up over time. I've been taking time to recently to read through the Sprawl Repair Manual from 2010, and I've found a lot of its concepts very fascinating, particularly with regards to concepts for retrofitting malls (pdf page 140)

Sprawl Repair Manual Website

Sprawl Repair Manual Text
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GetUrban
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Re: Urban Theory Readings

Post by GetUrban »

Thanks for posting this! I’l be sure to take a look.

“Sprawl Repair Manual” Love the title!
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Garrett
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Re: Urban Theory Readings

Post by Garrett »

GetUrban wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:22 pm Thanks for posting this! I’l be sure to take a look.

“Sprawl Repair Manual” Love the title!
It’s very practical as far as steps that can be taken to help retofit suburban sprawl for sure
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Athomsfere
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Re: Urban Theory Readings

Post by Athomsfere »

Garrett wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 8:40 pm Figured I'd make a list of urban planning and theory readings, along with links that come up over time. I've been taking time to recently to read through the Sprawl Repair Manual from 2010, and I've found a lot of its concepts very fascinating, particularly with regards to concepts for retrofitting malls (pdf page 140)

Sprawl Repair Manual Website

Sprawl Repair Manual Text
I'm not very far reading through this yet (Specifically the PDF) but this appears to be everything I want done ;)
ita
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Re: Urban Theory Readings

Post by ita »

The mall section that Garrett references is really interesting. I think Option 1 would be very doable and awesome at Oakview. I am already making a mental map of how it could be implemented there. It won't happen with current ownership, but maybe if the City takes over or something in the future something like the Evolution concept could be done.
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Renovator2559
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Re: Urban Theory Readings

Post by Renovator2559 »

Plenty of good reading material and great ideas to continue to implement, mixed used development is for sure being replicated in small steps in west O.

Not only have these culdesac laiden suburbs helped in isolating people from each other and their communities, but since these communities don't pay enough taxes to maintain their infrastructure, the city as a whole subsidizes suburbs and ends up making the city as a whole poorer and indebt

Its not that suburbs should be banned, it's just that they need to be designed better and to acknowledge that we have built our new neighborhoods in the image of big auto and their decades old propaganda ads that influenced the public to see cities subsurvient to the car and not people.

The best ideas of urban and town designs come from the past prior to 1950s, which have been improved upon for more than a millenia and that's why Europeans have plenty of attractive cities. We have been too "progressive" in accomadating everything around the car, without not taking into account the community and societal aspects.

European cities were also beginning to adopt the ideas of Big Auto but as they realized the impacts of sprawl, some places took out highways and replaced them with green spaces, multilayered with transit and pedestrian promenades.

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Big Auto vision of a suburb, dull, sterile, little sense of community

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Germans love their cars, yet their suburbs keep getting much more walkable, with public transit and engaging to be in, each neighborhood features their own local stores and businesses, third places. Germans have the luxury of using the car, tram/train biking or on foot.

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In comparison our current suburbs only have clogged, congested streets, which a lot of us have the false belief that just another lane will solve the congestion problem but the road widening is only costing us plenty with few returns..
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