Posts by Daniel Nairn — Guest Contributor
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The Variety of American Grids
I wanted a nerdy planning-related poster for my wall (other than the periodic table of city planning), so I made one this week. I scoured Google Earth and measured that quintessentially American grid in about a hundred downtowns around the country. Of course, there are variations in block proportions within downtowns, but I tried to pick cities that had more uniformity than average… Keep reading…
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The physical evolution of Blagden Alley-Naylor Court
Blagden Alley-Naylor Court is a designated historic district in the Shaw neighborhood, contained between O and M Streets and 9th and 10th Streets. What makes these blocks significant are the alleys that remain almost perfectly intact in their original 1865 alignment. Many homes were built on alleys throughout the city in the late 19th century, particularly to house an influx… Keep reading…
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Slow and steady creates Virginia’s Urban Development Areas
Over the last couple of years the state government of Virginia has been rolling out a land use planning category for localities known as Urban Development Areas (UDAs), where higher density development can be concentrated. The concept started off slowly in 2007 with HB 3202 as an advisory element to be placed in the Comprehensive Plans of “high growth” localities,… Keep reading…
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Two (very different) planned towns in Maryland
Passing through the D.C. metro area after New Year’s, we decided to visit two classic planned communities in the Maryland suburbs: Greenbelt and Kentlands. Both were planned and built from the ground up and both contain around 2,000 households. Otherwise, they could not be more different. One was entirely created by the federal government, the other by private developers. Keep reading…
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Virginia rail service has successful first day
Yesterday, I rode the first intercity passenger rail service the Commonwealth of Virginia has ever funded. The train arrived promptly at the station in Charlottesville this morning, and headed on its way to Union Station. A decent-sized crowd boarded with me, and the local media were there to film the event. Passing through the small town of Orange, not yet a stop along the route, an… Keep reading…
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What if we counted people like we count vehicles?
Of all of the disparities between different transportation modes, one of the most important and least talked about is the disparity of information. Right now in American cities we have an enormous and expanding set of knowledge about how cars and trucks move, yet we know almost nothing quantitatively about how pedestrians and bicyclists use the infrastructure. Cameras and… Keep reading…
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Constructive stormwater management proposals emerge in Virginia
When the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) unveiled proposals for amended stormwater regulations this past spring, some observers were concerned that the stricter regulations would make denser development, and redevelopment of existing sites in particular, more expensive relative to low-density development. This would likely not bode well for smart… Keep reading…
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“Bank deserts” harm underserved communities
The term “food desert,” a neighborhood without sufficient access to healthy foods, has quickly become an accepted phrase for anyone thinking about cities. Now the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has released data suggesting that the same phenomenon has been occurring with newly opened bank branches. They’ve been able to identity a pretty strong positive… Keep reading…
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Stormwater management should work with, not against, Smart Growth
Virginia is updating statewide stormwater regulations. A draft is open for public comment until August 21, 2009. Some people are concerned that the stricter caps on nutrient loads, as currently written, will promote low-density development and ultimately hurt the water quality and quantity of runoff in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Keep reading…