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<br /> BOOK REVIEW
<br /> Continued from page 27 r- �T, I �„ i - s 4 .' w s s{'�
<br /> feet make perfect sense for residential I i II
<br /> !! 1 ,;
<br /> areas with little traffic,Arendt says,and . k�i
<br /> {
<br /> even enhance safety by encouraging •-- i, " . 4.4, . n 14 .
<br /> x
<br /> motorists to slow down. ' 41 -
<br /> For those determined to build iso- , i
<br /> lated developments in rural areas, ; a <. .
<br /> Arendt provides a wide selection of
<br /> clustering techniques that retain as -., ;.,, ;:, ,.,..
<br /> _... .. r.V- 1.-
<br /> much open space as possible while pre- f_,- .:„..,..:.-.....i...“-.. ,
<br /> serving scenic views.Colored drawings ay.!'� • , ., v..,. ` .`�
<br /> with aerial views of alternative devel- z w'' -..,..?,',„7- -,,,,„:.'`."""°"-•„ .,y,
<br /> opment patterns illustrate how the - �
<br /> s •aw�orr-r- 1. c
<br /> ' ',qvsame amount of construction can vary '! ''"�"`" '1-;,:-.3 '
<br /> widely in its impact on the landscape. r .""'M
<br /> Builders should find Arendt's chap- Via. �;
<br /> ters on open space design, including ..i-.: " a .., r =� *N.. -. 1 tr
<br /> greenways and buffers,of particular in- " ».
<br /> terest.By encouraging the clustering of ..,. -mp '"-=`!, ti... - -r„•- + M
<br /> homes through density bonuses, mu- ` . f
<br /> nicipalities can preserve open land- s)'; ?•
<br /> '' {` X 1
<br /> scapes,lower the cost of building and ,,x \ t
<br /> maintaining subdivisions,and enhance
<br /> •
<br /> .+• ;
<br /> the value of completed developments. • .•� '1 '
<br /> Arendt cites a growing body of evi- �:.�°f'� """
<br /> dence to note that housing clustered 4 ' ` { �'"c........--).:- -. .0,4 W ':
<br /> around common open space or green-
<br /> ways is cost-effective to build and ap- ._..Wetlands Mitigation Banking
<br /> preciates more rapidly in value than Cohousing
<br /> homes on conventional lots. Open-Space.Subdiuisions A
<br /> The book is nothing if not thor- - •
<br /> ough.It contains chapters on virtually _ §Supertunt Liability •
<br /> every kind of commercial and residen- s >•'
<br /> ibe"'*A:ez `cam`;,, .g.: _- - , ,. •.
<br /> tial development—from in-fill con- -- �+• `
<br /> struction to subdivisions in the most
<br /> rural areas.Separate chapters offer case town's timeless character. Rural by Design is far more read-
<br /> studies of 40 outstanding residential A chapter by Brabec makes the eco- able than most tomes on planning,
<br /> and commercial projects dating from nomic case for preserving open space. and its credibility is underscored by
<br /> 1914 to the present.The liberal use of Citing numerous studies that date from myriad references to specific efforts
<br /> photographs,drawings,and maps sup- Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1850s to across the country to conserve open
<br /> ports the presentation. the present, Brabec argues that open space.It is accompanied by a lengthy
<br /> Methods for preserving farmland, space pays for itself in terms of reduced bibliography. For people committed
<br /> scenic roads, and open space are de- demand for government services, in- to designing better communities than
<br /> scribed at length. Separate chapters by creased tourism,and an improved qual- we have seen in the last 50 years, Ru-
<br /> Dodson and Reid discuss creative ways ity of life.Yaro,executive director of the ral by Design is a valuable reference
<br /> to cluster development to ensure the Regional Plan Association of New York, work. ■
<br /> preservation of rural areas. A down- devotes a brief chapter to regional plan-
<br /> town redevelopment plan for Edgar- ping initiatives,examining statewide ef- Thomas Hylton,a Pennsylvania
<br /> • town on Martha's Vineyard illustrates forts such as Oregon's plan and site- journalist,won a Pulitzer Prize for
<br /> editorials advocating the preservation of
<br /> ways to accommodate new develop- specific regulatory bodies such as the farmland and open space in Chester
<br /> ment without destroying an historic Cape Cod Commission. County,Pennsylvania.
<br /> 34 Land Development/Winter 1995
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