Ten Guiding Principles Of What Makes A Neighborhood
Scott P. Rogers
The Rockingham County Planning Commission will meet today (Nov 19, 2019) at 6:00 PM in the Rockingham County Administration Center to discuss incorporating the Stone Spring Urban Development Area Plan (pdf) into the Comprehensive Plan.
One critical part of this plan is a list of ten guiding principles of what makes a neighborhood, which I have included here...
- A discernible center
- Connected sidewalks with a clear pedestrian path, street trees and lighting.
- Buildings placed close to the street to create a sense of place.
- Parking placed behind buildings and away from street frontages.
- Complete Streets - a balance between cars, pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Compact street blocks that encourage walking
- Most of the dwellings are within a five minute (1/4 mile) walk to the center.
- Greater density, with a variety of dwelling types and commercial activity.
- Neighborhood identity.
- Prominent civic and public buildings.
The plan explores each of these guiding principles on pages 15 to 23 of the plan.
Download it and read through these concepts yourself. It's exciting to think about developments designed with these guidelines in mind.
