Urban Connects

Urban Connects

Urban Connects

Urban planning and regulatory frameworks in most jurisdictions in North America support conventional suburban development. This type of development is characterized by a discrete separation of different kinds of building uses, low building densities and access by automobile.

A by-product of suburban development is a loss of sense of place. Building housing projects does not always make for strong communities. Segregating residential development from all other uses, with the car as the only common denominator, undermines genuine human connections.

Analyzing the effect of regulations on urban development, Charles C. Bohl and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk have noted how hidden instruments shape the form of the city. Those instruments include engineering standards, building codes, zoning bylaws or ordinances and lenders’ guidelines: all designed to support suburban sprawl.