the 13 points of a tRaditional neighborhood Development

By Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk

1. The neighborhood has a discernible center. This is often a square of a green, and sometimes a busy or memorable street corner. A transit stop would be located at this center.
2. Most of the dwellings are within a five-minute walk of the center, an average of roughly 2,000 feet.
3. There is a variety of dwelling types usually houses, row-houses and apartments so that younger and older people, singles and families, the poor and the wealthy may find places to live.
4. There are shops and offices at the edge of the neighborhood, of sufficiently varied types to supply the weekly needs of a household.
5. A small ancillary building is permitted within the backyard of each house. It may be used as a rental unit or place to work (e.g. office or craft workshop).
6. An elementary school is close enough so that most children can walk from their home.
7. There are small playgrounds near every dwelling not more than a tenth of a mile away.
8. The streets within the neighborhood are a connected network, providing a variety of pedestrian and vehicular routes to any destination, which disperses traffic.
9. The streets are relatively narrow and shaded by rows of trees. This slows traffic, creating an environment suitable for pedestrians and bicycles.
10. Buildings in the neighborhood center are placed close to the street, creating a strong sense of place.
11. Parking lots and garage doors rarely front the street. Parking is relegated to the rear of buildings, usually accessed by alleys.
12. Certain prominent sites at the termination of street vistas or in the neighborhood center are reserved for civic buildings. These provide sites for community meetings, education, religion or cultural activities.
13. The neighbor hood is organized to be self-governing. A formal association debates and decides matters of maintenance, security and physical change.

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