A PAPER ON NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN

BY

EZEKIEL UFUOMA LUCKY

PGD000007357

PGD 1

DEPARTMENT OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AKURE

COURSE: PLANNING STUDIO (NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN) - URP 703

SUBMITTED TO: DR. (TPL) ENISAN, O. F.

DR. (TPL) OLAMIJU, I. O.

MARCH 2021
INTRODUCTION

Human environment is a basic element for the survival of man. Environments where

communities live can be grouped as natural environment, artificial environment and social

environment. Artificial environment refers to physical environment, which is created by human

being for his requirements and changes by time. Social environment, on the other hand, can be

defined as places in which people interact with each other. Artificial environment is an interactive

place, which allows or does not allow communication as well (Dicle & Süheyla, 2014). The

environment is further broken down into units, and the smallest of the units is the neighbourhood.

In English, there are four equivalents for the word neighborhood, which consists of

“neighborhood unit”, “district”, “quarter”, and “community”. Although each of them has been

used instead of the neighborhood in different texts and resources, there are also differences

between them in size, population, function, and so on (Farah, Hamed, & Vahideh, 2013).

The word neighbourhood stemmed from the word neighbour which is someone living close

or located near another. Berk (2005) defined the term neighborhood as the sub-divisions of urban

or rural locations such as cities, villages, and towns. In its purest definition, a neighborhood is the

vicinity in which people live. People live next to or near one another in sections of an area and

form communities. Those sections have some particular physical or social characteristics that

distinguish them from the rest of the settlements (Dicle & Süheyla, 2014). Neighborhood can also

be seen as a planning area commonly identified as such in a community’s planning documents,

and by the individuals residing and working within the neighborhood. Documentation may include

a map prepared for planning purposes showing the names and boundaries of neighborhoods.

Though neighborhoods are not legal designations, they are among the most commonly recognized

and understood land use designations. A neighborhood can also be seen as a small area within a
city or town. It is a group of dwellings and other buildings on streets that run near each other. Some

neighborhoods have small houses. Some neighborhoods have larger houses. Some neighborhoods

have rows of duplexes or apartment buildings. Some neighborhoods have many different kinds of

dwellings on the same street (Habitat for Humanity, n.d).

Many neighborhoods also contain stores and other businesses. A neighborhood might have

a grocery store, a gas station, a school or a hospital. It might have a playground or a swimming

pool. A neighborhood is a place where some people live, some people work, and some people play.

A neighborhood is a community. The people who live in a neighborhood are neighbors. They live

next door to each other. They live across the hall and across the street from each other. They might

work at the stores and other businesses in the neighborhood. Sometimes they know each other.

Other times, they do not (Habitat for Humanity, n.d).

Neighborhoods contain various service categories (classes) and facilities. These facilities;

health (hospital, clinic, pharmacy), recreation (sport, green lands), clubs, commercial, cultural and

religious facilities are within talking distance for most of residents. In psychosocial terms,

neighborliness is a zone, which allows social relationships of users (Kellekci & Berköz, 2006).

According to Kısar and Türkoğlu (2010), social relationships such as neighborliness and familial

relationships are regarded as social networks at micro level and these relationships meet the

requirements of safety and support in community at basic level. Neighborliness is a relationship

through which residents can communicate and share common things. Moreover, neighborliness is

a different definition of the fact that human being cannot live alone, he is a part of community and

acquires his real identity within community (Şensoy & Karadağ, 2012).

Neighborhoods always have a strong physical reality inside cities with distinctive physical,

social and economic characteristics. They are main unit of city which play important role in
formation of cities. Urban neighborhoods are where people live and spend most of their time. Thus,

planning and design of urban neighborhood must be comprehensive to meeting resident’s

requirements and accommodating new development by considering the needs of future generation.

Accordingly, planning and design of urban neighborhood as a significant geographic and social

unit has crucial role for creating sustainable cities (Abolfazl, Şebnem, & Nina, 2014).

Consequently, designing sustainable neighborhoods is initial steps towards achieving sustainable

urban settlements (Gildroy & Al-Hagla, 2008).

CONCEPT OF NEIGHBOURHOOD DEFINED

Figure 1: A sample of a neighbourhood

Source: Neighbourhood concept lecture note (n.d)
The planning concept of neighbourhood design was developed by Clarence Perry (1872-1944).

Perry believed that cities should be built (or rebuilt) to consist of self-contained residential areas

bounded by major roads with shops at the intersections and schools in the middle. Children would

be able to walk to school without having to cross major roads, and the limited size of the units

(typically 6,000-10,000 inhabitants) would, he believed, encourage community spirit. The theory

was first publicized in 1939 in Housing for the Mechanic Age and gained rapid acceptance, serving

as a template for post-war suburban development (The Institute for Local Government, 2010)

The concept of neighborhood contains two fundamental components being physical and

psychosocial and more specifically, the basic elements of a neighbourhood are: people, place,

interaction system, shared identification, and public symbols. Putting the elements together,

neighbourhoods as a population residing in an identifiable section of a city whose members are

organized into a general interaction network of formal and informalities and express their common

identification with the area in public symbols (Schwirian, 1983).

ELEMENTS OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD

The neighbourhood unit is a residential community. As a residential community it needs

everything that is desired in a residential area. It needs various ranges of facilities at the

convenience of users. It requires institutions that are commonly and frequently patronized by

people. Apart from the institutional requirements, the area must be sustainable. In needs some jobs,

though all the residents will not work within the neighbourhood. It needs, therefor, to be relatively

self-contained. From the observation of the authors of this text the following elements are

suggested. They are as follows: A neighbourhood centre, Primary school (with or without a nursery

school), A shopping centre or a market, Convenience shops or corner shops, A place of worship

(church or a mosque), Health center, postal centre, Police post, Petrol filling station, Service
industries, Refuse disposal sites, Fire station (to serve more than one neighbourhood), etc. (Daniel

& Imasuen, 2004).

SPACE STANDARDS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING AND DESIGN

The term spatial relates to space. Spatial standards represent a real-world situation in

simple enough terms to permit relating space and position of things located in it for the benefit of

the users (William, 2014). They are land specifications employed to guide the use and development

of urban land for the purpose of providing adequate land for the various uses of urban land and for

the creation of a balanced urban land-use systems (Obateru, 2014). Space standards are used as

control mechanism in regulating the use of land as is the case of subdivision regulations and

building codes (William, 2014). They are of two types: site and assess standards. Site standards

specify sizes (areas) of land; while access standards specify walking or driving distances to

facilities and services. The space standards are prepared by the urban planners deriving them from

empirical investigation (field work), the specialized knowledge and expertise of the related

professionals concerned with the use and development of urban land, and the practical knowledge

of community leaders (Obateru, 2014).

Obateru (2014), highlighted the determinants of space standards to be caused by a

combination of factors ranging from physical, social, cultural and economic factors. These factors

include: the amount of land available; the nature of its relief features; the nature of its drainage

system; nature of its geological and soil formations; climatic conditions; the cost of the land; the

size, age structure, growth rate and density of the population to be accommodated; the socio-

cultural characteristics of the people, especially the degree of their gregariousness; the living

standard of the people which is basically determined by their annual income; the occupations of
the people which largely determine the length of their leisure (free time); and their living habits

and behaviours which are more outdoor in the low latitudes than in the middle and high latitude.

DESIGNING THE ELEMENTS OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD

Designing the elements of a neighbourhood requires an understanding of space standards,

this is because every element of the neighbourhood is located within a space. Thus, Daniel &

Imasuen, (2004) gave some principles in designing the neighbourhood elements. These are

discussed below.

i. The Neighbourhood Centre: The neighbourhood centre is the focal point for community

living and it deserves special attention in its design. The neighbourhood centre on its own contains

facilities like school, parks, shopping areas and so on. The size of the centre depends on its use

and the spatial extent of the neighbourhood. The composite needs of the centre should determine

how large is the neighbourhood centre. The neighbourhood centre should be located at the central

area of the neighbourhood, baring site distortions at such areas. The centre should be sufficiently

pedestrianized and allow few roads to enter it for essential services. The major land use of primary

school, playground, shopping, worship should be sited such that they are· compatible to

themselves. The centre should minimize aggregate distance traveled and maximize accessibility

to the residents and users of its facilities. Obateru (2003) suggested the plan for the siting of the

facilities-at the neighbourhood by grouping the locations into Neighbourhood centre, intermediate

zone, peripheral area and local areas (Obateru O. I., 2003).

ii. The Primary School: The presence of the primary school for a neighbourhood is such an

important feature in the design of a neighbourhood that the neighbourhood unit is often referred to

as a primary school district. The primary school is a major activity that occupies the neighbourhood

centre. The location of the primary school at the geographic centre makes it about the most
important facility and most accessible to everybody. The location of the primary school relates to

the entire spatial scale of the neighbourhood and thus helps to limit the service radius. In terms of

area or size of the land to be used for primary school it should range between 5 - 14 acres. This

size should be able to accommodate a playground for a range of activities. The playground should

be completely screened from the streets. The elementary school should be accessible to children

on foot and-if streets are to be crossed, they must be few.

iii. Neighbourhood Play Areas: The recreation needs of residents of a neighbourhood is

crucial to the design of a neighbourhood unit. The allocation of land to meet the recreation needs

range from that of the play-lot to that of the neighbourhood park. The play-lot is a small recreation

area designed for the play of preschool children (De Chiara & koppelman, 1975). The play-lot is

more often utilized in high-density housing estates. Th play-lot is usually located very close to

individual houses where parents can conveniently and easily supervise their kids when playing.

The play-lot should be between 1,500 - 2,5000 square feet in area. It should be equipped with such

devices as low swing, slide, sandbox, jungle gym and space for running and circle games; a portion

of the lot should be paved. The second category of play area is the neighbourhood playground.

The playground is designed for children between ages of 6-14 years. Most authorities contend that

a playground should be within one quarter mile walking distance of the dwelling area it serves;

this distance is particularly important in densely built districts, and it should not exceed one-half

mile in the most sparsely settled residential areas (Gallion & Eisner, 1963). The playground should

be located adjacent to the primary school. The playground should range between 6 - 12 acres

depending on the size of population it serves. Another category of play area is the play field. This

satisfies the recreational needs of young people above 14years and adults. A single play field

should serve four or five neighbourhoods; the walking distance should not exceed one mile
(1.6km). In terms of size, the play field should not be less than 15 acres. It should have all the

facilities of the playground and in addition have the facilities for spectators' sports like football,

basketball, hockey, volleyball, swimming pool, etc. Night lighting should be provided.

iv. Neighbourhood Park School: The neighbourhood park school is an interesting planning

tool of combining recreation with primary education facility. It is planned in such a manner. that

all areas and facilities are used to meet the education and recreational needs of the people living in

a neighbourhood (De Chiara & Koppelman, 1975). The neighbourhood park school should be.

within a radius of half a mile to the users. In terms of land area allocated to it to serve ranges of

facilities like school building, play areas, parking, service buildings and so on, it should not be less

than 20 acres of land (Daniel & Imasuen, 2004).

v. Neighbourhood Shopping Centre: Shopping activity is an important, economic and

social function of a neighbourhood. The neighbourhood shopping centre needs to be properly

designed to serve the role it is expected to serve. The functionality of any shopping centre, whether

that of neighbourhood, community, regional, require certain conditions. These conditions are:

location, access, shape, size, topography, utilities, and the building pattern. The neighbourhood

shopping centre should be located at easily accessible sites to support the convenience use of

residents. The site should be surrounded by collector roads and should not impede pedestrian

access. The grade of the area should range between 2 to 3 percent. In terms of the land area to be

allotted for its use, it should be between 4-8 acres. The size will allow for a minimum of ten stores

and include a supermarket, a drugstore and other items that meet the convenience service needs of

the users. A major ancillary need of the neighbourhood shopping centre is the parking space.

Ideally this should occupy about half of the total land requirements of the shopping centre. It
should be well sited such that shoppers should not walk more than 350 feet before getting to the

trading areas.

Within the neighbourhood, the neighbourhood shopping centre is a major shopping area.

It is the highest order shopping area of the neighbourhood. The residents do not need to go to the

neighbourhood shopping centres for all their shopping needs. The corner store is closer to residents

and could meet some of their convenience needs. The siting of the corner stores should be of open

character and a resident should not go up to a quarter of a mile to use this facility. When he requires

a higher order good, resident could go up to half a mile to the neighbourhood shopping centre to

meet these needs. Thus, the service radius of the neighbourhood shopping centre is half a mile.

vi. Circulation Within the Neighbourhood: It is instructive to describe the circulation

pattern within the neighbourhood unit. As much as possible the pedestrians should be separated

from vehicles. This is the ideal. This is however difficult to achieve. What is practicable is to limit

the classes of roads that will enter the neighbourhood. All though traffic that have nothing to do

within the neighbourhood are to be removed. Thus, the acceptable roads in the neighbourhood are:

collector, secondary distributor, local access, service roads, and cul-de-sacs. These roads are to be

provided with walkways along them. Any class of road above the collector road and access roads,

are to be provided by buffer strips to shield the residents. The buffer strip should not be less than

15m.

vii. Designing Residential Areas: The neighbourhood unit is essentially a residential

development planned for the convenient need of the residents. The neighbourhood population

density varies from one part to another. The density decreases from the central areas to the

peripheral areas. The major way of reflecting density in the design of neighbourhood is the plot

size. For most neighbourhoods, the size of the layout plots are defined in three ways: low density,
medium density and high density. The low-density plot is the largest plot size and followed by the

medium density plot. The least size plot is the high-density plot. In terms of affordability, the high-

density plots are occupied by the low-income group; the medium density plots are occupied by the

medium income group; the low-density plots are occupied by the high-income groups. In respect

of spatial distribution of these suggested densities - low, medium and high - the low density should

be placed at the rear, followed by the medium density at the intermediate areas, and the high

density at the central areas. The rich have no problem of commuting and they value large space

and could afford to stay at the rear. The low-income group desire to be close to the centre where

facilities and jobs may be concentrated and also save commuting costs at the expense of space.

viii. Designing Other Elements: For the neighbourhood to serve as a residential community,

certain facilities must be within the convenient distance of users. These facilities could be postal

services, fire services, waste dumps, health-care and so on. These should be sited in areas where

local residents could easily reach, taking their service radius into consideration (Daniel & Imasuen,

2004).

PRINCIPLES FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN

Clarence Perry identified six neighbourhood unit design principles. These principles was

also supported by other authors and designers such as Jose Sert, Clarence Stein, Onokerhoraye and

Omuta and so on (Daniel & Imasuen, 2004). These principles as cited by Daniel & Imasuen, (2004)

and Watson, Plattus, Alan, & Robert, (2003) are:

• Internal street system: The unit should be provided with a special street system, each

highway being proportioned to its probable traffic load, and the street net as a whole being

designed to facilitate circulation within the unit and to discourage its use by through traffic.

Interior or internal street patterns should be designed and constructed through the use of
 cul-de-sacs, access road, curved layout and light duty surfacing so as to encourage a quiet,

safe, low volume traffic movement and preservation of the residential atmosphere.

• Boundaries: The unit should be bounded on all sides by arterial streets, sufficiently wide

to facilitate its bypassing by all through traffic. Major arterials and through traffic routes

should not pass through residential neighbourhoods. Instead these streets could provide the

boundaries of the neighbourhood.

• Size: A residential unit development should provide housing for that population for which

one elementary school is ordinarily required, its actual area depending upon population

density. The population of the neighbourhood should be that which is necessary to support

its elementary school. When Perry enunciated the neighbourhood concept, he gave this as

5000 persons. He recommended this size because of the maximum distance of home to

school to be covered by a child in the primary school and should not be more than half a

mile. In many places, because of threshold requirements, a population size of 5,000 –

10,000 have been suggested. Modern neighbourhoods are often segregated into low,

medium and high population densities.

• Institution sites: Sites for the school and other institutions having service spheres

coinciding with the limits of the unit should be suitably grouped about a central point, or

common area. The neighbourhood focal point should be the elementary school centrally

located on a common or green, along with other institutions that have service areas

coincident with the neighbourhood boundaries.

• Open spaces: A system of small parks and recreations spaces should be provided, planned

to meet the needs of the particular neighborhood. The neighbourhood should have a system

of small parks and organized recreation spaces planned to meet the needs of the particular
 neighbourhood. There is need to separate different classes of children and adults in terms

of play areas.

• Local shops: One or more shopping districts, adequate for the population to be served,

should be laid out in the circumference of the unit (at the center of the neighbourhood)

preferably at traffic junctions and adjacent to similar districts of adjoining neighborhoods.

The smaller shopping facilities (such as the corner shops) should be scattered over the

neighbourhood at distance convenient to the users.

NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN CONCEPTS

Certain concepts readily come to mind in designing the areas to be occupied by people. In

many settlements the most obvious elements to be found is where people live. This is shown in

terms of houses, streets and their arrangement. From the cumulative knowledge of urban design of

the past, some concepts have featured prominently. Some of these concepts are discussed below.

- The Grid Iron Concept

The grid iron concept has been traditionally used in the design of many neighbourhoods. It

consists of plots and blocks that are rectangular in shape and with many intersecting roads of

similar class. The gridiron pattern is usually the simplest method of loting the land. It is particularly

useful in subdividing land that are of uniform topography. Many variants of the grid concept have

been used. Some do not separate traffic and pedestrians; and some modified grid makes attempt to

separate traffic and pedestrian by way of foot paths.

Figure 2: Sample of Grid Iron Pattern
Source: Google imagery (2021)

- The Radburn Concept

The Radburn concept has its origin to the design of Radburn in New Jersey, a residential

community, by C. S. Stein and Henry Wright. This approach to. the planning of a residential

neighbourhood is a form of super block in which elaborate use of cul-de-sacs is applied to change

the orientation of the traditional housing pattern by taking the living areas to the rear. At Radburn,

houses are grouped around a series of cul-de-sacs which are linked by walkways with the park, the

school, and the shops, all of which are located in the interior of the super block (De Chiara &

Koppelman, 1975). The cul-de-sacs are short, about 130m, and originate from a major access road,

Houses are grouped around the rotary end of the cul-de-sac. A major element of the Radburn

concept is the generous use of landscape elements to link the other features of the neighbourhood.
Figure 3: Sample of Radburn concept
Source: Google imagery (2021)

- The Super block Concept

The super block concept is purely an American planning concept in its origin. It is the

product of consolidating two grid blocks along one dimension, and three grid blocks along other

dimension, to arrive at a six square block with all the interior streets removed (Onokerhoraye &

Omuta, 1986). In its common form, the super block is the consolidation of several grids in a large

scale.

The super block is designed such that the general orientation of the houses is reversed with

the streets at their rear and the residents facing a common green. This brings the residents into a

kind of close relationship for more social activities. The common green which residents face may

be subject to varying degree of -treatment in terms of its facilities and landscaping. In particularly

large ones, they support facilities like primary or nursery school, swimming pools, convenience

shops and so on.

Figure 4: Sample of superblock concept
Source: Google imagery (2021)

- The Cluster Concept

The cluster concept is a combination of the super block, radbum and the curvilinear pattern.

What however gives it an identity is the arrangement of lots. In most cases the cluster presents

long stretches of curve load with the short cul-de-sacs branching out of them. It is on the cul-de-

sacs that the house group around. Common green area separates these constellations of clusters.

The green are deeded and developments are restricted from encroaching upon them. The cluster

concept is cost saving as linear costs of installation of utilities like water and electricity to serve

the houses are reduced to the barest minimum. Cluster developments are particularly useful for

conserving the urban environment by bringing it close to nature. However, urban land is very
costly and most city planners would not advocate for such a design concept that frees most parts

of the urban of physical structures and devote it entirely for landscaping.

Figure 5: Sample of cluster concept

Source: Google imagery (2021)

- The Environmental Area Concept

The environmental area concept is an important concept in the design of residential areas.

It believes that as important as motor traffic in movement in our present life, it also has its problems

of noise and accidents. The concept works on the principle that a more preferable situation can be

brought about in residential areas by taking the objectives of safety and avoidance of traffic noise

into consideration. In terms of design, the environmental area based on hierarchy of roads from

arterial, collector to local access that abuts properties. The collector is usually in a form of loop

that channels traffic from the neighbourhood, using local access and service roads and enters these

to the arterial road. The collector road is connected to the arterial roads at two points and restricting

through traffic from entering the neighbourhood (Daniel & Imasuen, 2004).
Figure 6: Sample of cluster concept
Source: Google imagery (2021)

CONCEPTS OF SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBOURHOOD

There is one universal agreement that at the scale of neighbourhood there is no clear

definition for sustainable development, the definition and the principles for a good and sustainable

neighbourhood may change over time. However, sustainable development at the neighbourhood

is defined based on the broadly applicable definition of sustainability which published by

Brundtland report, as a “development that responds to the local needs without compromising the

ability of people globally to respond to their own needs”. In the other word, sustainable

development at a neighbourhood is involved the development of communities with consideration

of three interconnection pillars of sustainability include environmental, social and economic

purposes in a balance manner (Churchill & Baetz, 1999). Besides, the assimilation of sustainable

development principles in neighbourhoods planning is essential since most of the issues

encountered at the macro-city scale are in fact result of weak planning at the micro neighbourhood

level (Abolfazl, Şebnem, & Nina, 2014).

Accordingly, several efforts have been recognized to integration of sustainability at the

neighbourhood. In this regard, Churchill and Baetz in 1999 improved a set of strategies for

sustainable neighbourhood which proved a broad range of factors involving “population density,

alternative modes of transportation systems, community agriculture, water re-use and green

building techniques” (Engel-Yan, et al., 2005). Furthermore, Neo-Traditional neighbourhood as a

technique for increasing the level of sustainability at the neighbourhood has been recommended a

development pattern by focusing on “high pedestrian access achieved through connected grid

street patterns, mixed land-use, narrower streets, and a mix of other features” (Engel-Yan, J., et al.

2005).

PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBOURHOOD

The UN-Habitat, (2015) report gave the five basic principles for sustainable

neighbourhoods to include:

1. Adequate space for streets and an efficient street network. The street network should

occupy at least 30 per cent of the land and at least 18 km of street length per km².

2. High density. At least 15,000 people per km², that is 150 people/ha or 61 people/acre.

3. Mixed land-use. At least 40 per cent of floor space should be allocated for economic use

in any neighbourhood.
4. Social mix. The availability of houses in different price ranges and tenures in any given

neighbourhood to accommodate different incomes; 20 to 50 per cent of the residential floor

area should be for low cost housing; and each tenure type should be not more than 50 per

cent of the total.

5. Limited land-use specialization. This is to limit single function blocks or neighbourhoods;

single function blocks should cover less than 10 per cent of any neighbourhood.

KEY FEATURES OF SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS

The Five Principles promoted by UN-Habitat are meant to foster sustainable urban

development by creating livable and efficient neighbourhoods. Sustainable cities are prosperous,

convenient, livable, and safe. A sustainable city would possess the following key features, which

the Five Principles contribute to:

1. A vibrant street life: Supporting and promoting street life by enabling a variety of

activities, conducive frontage and street width, and reducing the presence and role of

private transport. The Five Principles encourage high density and mixed land use which

boost a lively street life. A high population density generates sufficient industrial and

commercial service demand while mixed land use provides adequate manufacturing and

service space. Cities consistent with the Five Principles are able to link demand with supply

and thus stimulate a prosperous city street life which satisfies people’s material and

spiritual needs and creates a safe and vibrant city life. This is a key feature of sustainable

cities.

2. Walkability: Promoting walkability as a key measure to bring people into the public space,

reduce congestion and boost local economy and interactions. A vibrant street life

encourages people to walk or cycle around, while a rational street network enables
 necessary city administrative services to be offered within walking or cycling distance and

ensures security. High density, mixed land use and a social mix make proximity to work,

home and services possible. Walkability helps to reduce automobile reliance and thus

alleviate relevant congestion, air pollution and resource depletion issues. It is healthier to

“walk more and drive less”! Pedestrians add an incredible amount of vibrancy to city life.

3. Affordability: Supporting affordability of transactions and economic activities, as well as

of services and housing, by promoting proximity and reducing costs and building services

for a diverse group of users. Proximity, brought about by applying the Five Principles,

helps to reduce wastage of time and resources and thus brings down general service costs.

Furthermore, the social mix principle tries to promote a rational distribution of urban public

resources and provides adequate housing for different revenue groups through city

planning regulations - ensuring social equity and promoting economic efficiency. An

affordable and accommodating city is a core feature of a sustainable city.

The City of Red Deer, (2013) further highlighted other principles to achieve quality

sustainable neighbourhood design to include:

• Each neighbourhood contains natural open spaces and is sensitive to the existing land

conditions and local ecology. Neighbourhoods should be designed to include existing or

enhanced natural and conservation areas and should response to natural features. This may

include greenways, wetlands, watercourses, woodlots and native plant vegetation.

 Figure 7: Preserving natural areas
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Each neighbourhood should have a mix of land uses and densities that provide options to

live, learn, work, and play. More intensive land uses should be connected and focused

around transit, alternative transportation modes and parks such that all citizens can easily

access daily shopping and recreational needs in their neighbourhood regardless of mode

choice.
 Figure 8: Having mixed uses
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Each neighbourhood should offers real mobility choices for residents to travel to, from and

within the neighbourhood. Streets and trails should be well connected to encourage active

modes of travel. Traffic and parking should be adequately managed so as not to dominate

the neighbourhood.
Figure 9: Offer Mobility Choice
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Each neighbourhood should be designed to use land wisely and efficiently. Higher density

housing should be clustered and located with commercial and institutional uses and public

transit stops. Higher density areas should gradually transition to lower density areas.

Density should support a mix of uses and viable transit ridership.

 Figure 10: Having mixed uses
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Each neighbourhood should offer high quality public spaces, with a variety and mix of

leisure and recreational opportunities. Open spaces should be well connected and

integrated. Public space should be accessible and suitable to a range of ages and abilities.

Active and passive spaces should provide areas to congregate, socialize, recreate, be

physically active and spend time outdoors.

Figure 11: Integrated parks and community space
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Neighbourhoods should provide a mixture of buildings, unit sizes and housing types.

Housing options should provide choice within the neighbourhood, appealing to a range of

incomes, family types and opportunities for ‘aging in place’.

Figure 12: Housing Opportunity and Choice
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Each neighbourhood should be designed to be resilient and adapt to changing conditions

such as growth rates, demographics, regional context, energy price changes, climate change

and change in residents needs and preferences. Cost effective neighbourhoods should be

designed with consideration for construction, long term maintenance, operation and

resident affordability. Neighbourhoods should be planned to accommodate a variety of

future uses that will allow buildings, public spaces and amenities to be adapted efficiently

as needed.
Figure 13: Resilient neighbourhood
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Each neighbourhood should be designed to promote citizen’s health and well-being and

increase overall neighbourhood safety and social interaction. Streets should be designed

for pedestrian and cyclist safety. This way, residents will know their neighbours, feel

confident to play, walk, cycle, and take transit, use neighbourhood spaces and access

community amenities.
Figure 14: Safe neighbourhood
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)
• Each neighbourhood should have a distinct identity fostering community pride and a sense

of belonging. Arrival features, focal points, natural elements, public art and other symbols

of the community should be integrated at important intersections and other locations within

the neighbourhood. Architecture and site design express creativity, a distinct ‘look and

feel’ for each neighbourhood, including relationships between buildings and public space,

size of homes, street widths, block size, choice of materials and architectural character

(City of Red Deer, 2013)

 Figure 15: Unique neighbourhood identity
Source: City of Red Deer (2013)

CONCLUSION

The neighbourhood unit is usually regarded as a micro-planning unit of a living

community. The layout of a neighbourhood is the foundation of land subdivision design in the

training of town planners. It is essential to discover the meaning and the purpose of the

neighbourhood, not just as a place for human action – a social organizational or a physical unit –

but also as an expression of urban life. Consequently, the concept of neighbourhood must be seen

not simply as a means to fulfil objective needs in the planning of the city or the residential area.

Rather, the concept is apparently a highly useful and convenient tool, which appropriates the

planning of the neighbourhood to subjective needs as they stem from ideological dispositions of

the professionals in society (Rachel & Hubert, 2000).

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