Redesigning the Edgeless Capitol Region

The Regional Plan Association and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy have been working together to research policies to redesign suburban activity centers. The Capitol Region Council of Governments brought the work to Hartford this week.

If the two-day session on Redesigning the Edgeless City didn't fit into your schedule, please see the resource materials at http://www.rpa.org/2009/04/redesigning-the-edgeless-city.html. The workshop's focus was planning performance-based solutions for sucessful urban places in a carbon-constrained world.

A highlight of day one was a discussion of the seven principles of sustainable community design.

• Conserve land and services within a 5 minute walk to transit.
• Provide diferent dwelling types in the same neighborhood, and even the same street.
• Dwellings should present a friendly face to the street.
• Car storage and services should be handled at the rear of dwelling units.
• Interconnect the street network.
• Make streets narrow and shade with rows of trees.

Day two will include a Capitol Region planning exercise.