Post 9

How to make a Town

Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck

The reading this week focused on the interactions within a community. When understanding all these elements of mixed- use development, regional considerations, connectivity, site utilisation, the discipline of the neighbourhood, transit, streets, buildings, and parking an informed decision can be then made in planning for that community.

I found the reading this week to be highly practical and useful in the real world. In comparison previous reading have been highly theoretical based and not as focused on the practical aspect of planning. With a lack of understanding of these elements as well as at a local level planners cannot possible produce the best outcome for that community.

 So far as students we have been thinking of solutions to problems in an ideal world. This chapter forces more thought of constraints and real world problems that we will face in the industry. I think this chapter is one of the most important readings so far as it is an outline of what is expected of planners to consider and act on accordingly.

The concepts of this chapter are taken place in an Australian context. Although it is not only the planning attitudes and implementation which need to change but the communities attitude towards a more compact community of high density, mixed use, smart design and less automobile use. To achieve a more ‘sustainable’ community the society has a whole has to change.