Academic literature on the topic 'Retrofitting the suburbs'

In the 80s and 90s in America, residential developers believed that the best way to make money was to build a golf course community. Premiums of homes on golf courses ranged from 30% to 100% more than the price of a similar home not adjacent to a course. Today, the bottom has fallen out of the golf market leaving over 2,400 courses closed in America. Residential homes bordering a closed golf course experience an 11.7% loss of value. Many owners and potential developers want these large parcels of land to be up-zoned so they can build higher density residential and make a profit. Neighbors do not want to lose their greenspace and public officials do not want to be seen as harming single-family residential. This thesis argues that to retrofit a closed golf course, developers, community members and other stakeholders must first understand the morphological and environmental implications of the different types of golf courses, the context surrounding closed courses and the location of these courses in a greater regional area. By understanding closed golf courses in this way, a framework can be established that results from negotiation among golf course residents, neighbors, developers and public officials.

There is an on-going generational shift related to car culture, occurring in the developed world. After decades of increased driving, a decline can now be seen in twenty of the developed countries. Moreover, one out of five regional shopping malls in America is either dead or likely to fail within the next five years. This has given rise to a new urban planning strategy called “suburban retrofitting”. The strategy mainly concerns redevelopment of suburban areas; involving densification of the area’s built environment, a diversification of functions and improved public transportation to the area. The most common mode of public transportation used within suburban retrofitting is light rail. Most suburban retrofitting projects to date have been carried out on sites of dead shopping malls, and the literature focused on suburban retrofitting is, so far, mainly focused on American conditions. Thus the purpose of the thesis is to relate the theories about suburban retrofitting to the Swedish urban planning context, to see if these theories are useful and relevant for Swedish urban planners and policymakers. This question is highly dependent on whether these strategies can be considered to contribute to sustainable development. A case study is carried out about the redevelopment of a commercial area called Kungens Kurva, in Huddinge, south of Stockholm. The area will be denser, take on a city like character and be supplied with public transport. However, some important aspects of this project differ from the theories about suburban retrofitting: no housing is planned, substantial space for parking remains and shopping will still be the dominant activity in the area. The preconditions for suburban retrofitting differs greatly between Sweden and the U.S. Thus, the subjects for suburban retrofitting in Sweden might currently rather be the “million program” suburbs than commercial areas at the urban fringe. One of the reasons for this is that, in Sweden, commercial areas at the urban fringe are often still doing economically well. Which means that the preconditions for fundamentally changing the character of these areas – by introducing housing and diversifying the functions in the area – simply is not good enough. Other factors that make a radical transformation of commercial areas difficult are the strong regulations concerning noise and pollution. It is particularly the regulations concerning housing that make suburban retrofitting projects adjacent to highways problematic in Sweden. As for introducing a light rail system to the area, it is only a rational choice for the Swedish cities that already has such a system. The subway system has proven to be far more effective in diverting car trips to locations at the urban fringe. Therefore it might be a better choice for suburban retrofitting projects in Stockholm.<br>Det pågår för närvarande ett generationsskifte vad gäller bilkulturen, både i Sverige och i hela den industrialiserade världen. Efter decennier av ökande bilkörning kan man nu se en nedgång i tjugo av de utvecklade länderna. Dessutom har ett av fem externhandelsområden i USA redan lagts ned, eller är sannolikt att bli nedlagt inom de närmaste fem åren. Detta har gett upphov till en ny strategi inom stadsplanering som kallas för ”Suburban retrofitting”, eller ”förtortsomvandling”. Strategin syftar till att omvandla förortsmiljöer och innebär förtätning av den byggda miljön, en diversifiering av områdets funktioner och förbättrad kollektivtrafik till området. I förortsomvandlingsprojekt är den vanligaste typen av kollektivtrafik spårvägssystem. De flesta genomförda förortsomvandlingsprojekt har avsett nedlagda köpcentrum och den litteratur som berör ämnet är i huvudsak fokuserad på Amerikanska förhållanden. Syftet med examensarbetet är att relatera teorier om förortsomvandling till svensk stadsplanering för att se om dessa teorier är användbara och relevanta för svenska stadsplanerare och beslutsfattare. Vilket är en fråga som i sin tur är starkt beroende av huruvida dessa strategier kan anses bidra till en hållbar utveckling. I detta examensarbete genomförs en fallstudie som berör omvandlingen av externhandelsområdet Kungens Kurva, beläget söder om Stockholm. Området planeras att bli tätare, få en kvartersstruktur och förses med kollektivtrafik. Dock skiljer sig projektet från de teorier som finns i litteraturen om förortsomvandling i flera viktiga avseenden. Inga bostäder är planerade, bilen står fortfarande i centrum och shopping kommer fortfarande att vara den dominerande aktiviteten i området. Några av de viktigaste slutsatserna i examensarbetet är att förutsättningarna för förortsomvandling skiljer sig kraftigt mellan Sverige och USA. Framförallt är de ekonomiska förhållandena för externhandelsområden i Sverige fortfarande relativt bra. Dessutom har Sverige starka regleringar vad gäller partikelhalter och buller, vilket kan göra omvandlingsprojekt nära motorvägar svåra att genomföra. Särskilt om de avser bostäder, vilka är en nödvändig del av ett förortsomvandlingsprojekt om det ska anses bidra till en hållbar stadsutveckling. Vad gäller frågan om att införa spårvägsförbindelser till förortsmiljöer under omvandling är detta endast ett rationellt val om man redan har ett spårvägssystem, eller saknar spårbunden kollektivtrafik överhuvudtaget. I det fall man har ett tunnelbanesystem, som i Stockholm, är det sannolikt mer miljömässigt hållbart att utnyttja detta än att bygga spårväg. Det beror på att tunnelbanesystem är betydligt mer konkurrenskraftigt gentemot bilen avseende resor till perifera mål, eftersom tunnelbanetrafiken är separerad från andra trafikslag och därmed får en högre medelhastighet.

Increasing suburban development has impaired water resources in the Charles River Watershed. Growing populations in the suburban fringes of Boston, Massachusetts have had a significant impact on ecosystems in the region. According to the EPA, one of the primary pollutants in the Charles River is phosphorus (EPA, 2010b). Phosphorus pollution contributes to algal blooms in the Charles that are harmful to ecosystems and toxic to humans (EPA, 2010b). In order to prevent existing suburban residential areas from contributing additional phosphorus to the Charles River, stormwater best management practices (BMPs) were studied to determine which BMPs effectively contain phosphorus. Infiltration trenches, bio-retention areas, and dry swales were selected and tested in scenarios developed for a neighborhood on Hartford Road in Bellingham, Massachusetts. The scenarios were intended to test a prioritized implementation strategy based on phosphorus loading hotspots and flow accumulation patterns. This study is intended to provide designers and planners a process through which site design can more effectively fit into broader ecological systems, specifically hydrological systems. The methodology developed in this study provides the ability to identify land cover types that contribute to phosphorus loading while also allowing phosphors loading hotspots to be identified at a scale as fine as 16 x 16 meters. Recognizing land cover types that contribute to phosphorus loading and prioritizing BMP implementation according to phosphorus loading hotspots within those land cover types allows for both economic BMP implementation efficiency and pollutant removal efficiency.

As the first post-war suburbs turn fifty, there will be a window of opportunity to retrofit these places to meet contemporary housing and community needs. Field studies conducted in five postwar-era subdivisions in Richmond BC reveal that a cycle of housing demolition and redevelopment began in the late 1980s. Unfortunately, dated zoning bylaws continue to exclude forms of development that depart from the singlefamily template of the 1950s. There are, however, examples of better redevelopment practices within the older urban fabric. Case studies in Vancouver's first-ring of streetcar suburbs reveal that a wide range of housing redevelopment has been enabled by a participatory process of discretionary rezoning over the past twenty-five years. The concrete examples of urban form, land-use policies and planning processes offered by the Vancouver experience can be applied in the redevelopment of postwar suburbs. Recent planning in Delta BC suggests that this approach can be used with success.

One of the defining features on 20th century American cityscapes is the rise and subsequent fall of auto-oriented suburban retail centers. The indoor mall and suburban strip center were once ubiquitous facets of suburban life, but in many places their lifespan and popularity have reached an end and are now referred to as “greyfields.” The purpose of this report will seek to document and explain the rise, fall and ultimate methods of regeneration of suburban, auto-oriented retail centers. This report will examine two case studies, Mizner Plaza (Boca Raton, FL) and Washingtonian Center (Gaithersburg, MD), to demonstrate the larger narrative of suburban shopping center redevelopment approaches. This report will need to articulate the birth, life cycle, and decline of the suburban, auto-oriented retail center using established shopping center and greyfield literature. The report will be comprised of three parts with the first outlining the characteristics, challenges and indicators of failing “greyfield” retail centers. The second part of this report will explore three types of greyfield redevelopment strategies (as anticipated through findings): a. New placemaking (the lifestyle, town center approach). b. New development improvements. c. An adaptive reuse of existing facilities. Thirdly, considering these three types of strategies, suggestions for redevelopment will be recommended for the Gateway shopping center, a declining “big box” power center in Austin, Texas.<br>text

It is estimated that 3.3 million people will inhabit the Vancouver Region within the next 25 years. Traditionally, constructing low-density suburbs well into the Fraser Valley was the method to accommodate this regional growth. However, the detrimental impacts of urban sprawl are now well documented and are having an impact on how Vancouver envisions the growth boundary. Traffic congestion, auto dependency, and long commutes from isolated suburbs are the noticeable effects of sprawl for many people living in the Lower Mainland yet another important impact is the threatened local and regional ecosystems. Urban sprawl is consuming arable land and endangering the natural ecosystems. In response to these social and ecological problems, the Greater Vancouver Regional District has developed the Livable Region Strategic Plan which intends to manage growth through the promotion of more compact communities, to increase transportation choice, and to protect the green zone within the GVRD's twenty municipalities. Instead of building upon unused and undeveloped land outside the metropolitan areas, the plan looks for opportunities within existing communities. The goal is to alleviate sprawl on a regional scale and maintain the ecological integrity of the hinterlands. However, how can the intensification within the growth concentration areas be managed to maintain the integrity of our urban ecosystems? The Beecher Creek subbasin is a typical example of a highly urbanized watershed within the Bumaby growth,concentration area. The upper two-thirds of the watershed is mainly single family residential. This area has the potential to accommodate the current high demand for ground oriented, low cost housing in the region. However, measures must be taken to mitigate the impacts that increased density will have on the watershed and the community. This thesis examines a sustainable growth strategy for the region using a watershed approach and is based on sensitive infill practices, Best Management Practices (BMP's) and sustainable design. The result is the Beecher Creek Urban Watershed Retrofit Plan. The watershed components such as the block, dwelling unit, yard, lane, street, cul de sac, driveway, sidewalk, open space and stream corridors are examined and retro-fitted to accommodate density while improving the ecological, social and experiential functioning of the whole. Retrofitting is the term used to describe "the process where communities incrementally add or alter the built environment to accommodate the needs that are shaped by changing social and economic realities" (Lee 1999, 12). Each component speaks to a denser, greener more livable watershed. The result is a comprehensive design of a retro-fitted Neighbourhood that has accommodated density while also improving the ecological, social and experiential function of the site. The design addresses the relationship of the site to its watershed context and its surrounding community. As a comprehensive document it also serves as a model for similar urban residential watersheds.