Description
A settlement form that uses a gridded urban street network (often with alleys), a commercial or mixed-use core and a mix of higher density residential development to achieve greater walkability and sociability than conventional automobile-dependent subdivisions with larger lots and winding streets.
Strengths
TND developments mimic historical patterns of development, especially 19th-Century villages and city neighborhoods that were established prior to modern land planning principles. TND settlements are also designed to promote the stronger and more insular face-to-face social networks that might have originally been necessitated by the inefficiency and expense of 19th-Century modes of transportation.
Weaknesses
Modern modes of social interaction (cellphones, CATV, Internet) and transport may undercut the pedestrian-ism and sociability objectives of TND design.
Examples
Example 1: Wisconsin
Description: The document is a model ordinance for communities trying to draw up a Traditional Neighborhood Design Ordinance. Intended to be a guideline, the document frequently has commentary points to help communities refine their own ordinance.
Example 2: Porter County, Indiana
Description: Traditional Neighborhood Design Ordinance developed 2006-2007 for Porter County, a lake-front county in northwestern Indiana that is partially suburban and partially rural. With encroaching development from the Chicago area, the community leaders chose to adopt a TND ordinance with the help of the EPA.
Example 3: South Euclid, OH
Cedar Center District Ordinance
Description: The City of South Euclid has adopted a TND ordinance for its Cedar Center Redevelopment.
Photo Credits: UW-Extension, Porter County Indiana