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III
<br /> BOOK REVIEW
<br /> Continued from page 27 _._ . ;1N#��` r
<br /> feet make perfect sense for residential I i I , ,,-1.. ..7-:-,11 ` ,
<br /> areas with little traffic,Arendt says,and r4.a;S".,•r• T
<br /> even enhance safety by encouraging `"` R. ..;.4,,. Th
<br /> motorists to slow down. '
<br /> For those determined to build iso- :, '+"'='.
<br /> •
<br /> lated developments in rural areas, . • }'""'
<br /> Arendt provides a wide selection of
<br /> clustering techniques that retain as .•. " • .. ,
<br /> much open space as possible while pre- '`. �, ..t.-�`"."`.`' •_ _. . _
<br /> serving scenic views. Colored drawings ®-►""" 'a•• "'
<br /> with aerial views of alternative devel- i�' •;�,,,.•, "!is n.' ' •• %" �-
<br /> opment patterns illustrate how the .• aca.vrt--- R ` rte''
<br /> same amount of construction can vary 1. • - , •'.2.'� i•, • '
<br /> widely in its impact on the landscape. r'"jjR ri...i s F•� � t'~ "
<br /> Builders should find Arendt's chap ..r ,+;a:;• ►t,' •
<br /> ters on open space design, including .,
<br /> •;•„,k, •`' ° • � • •{•�� i,v•., • • •
<br /> greenways and buffers,of particular in- -• :,� •; ., *, "•.., +„�:41'`',1: ! 1 It
<br /> terest.Byencouraging the clusteringof .. 'r'' » .. -� Y
<br /> g g
<br /> homes through density bonuses, mu- '+
<br /> nicipalities can preserve open land- e�'','1' ' ..1'• ••`•i•---" i
<br /> scapes,lower the cost of building and �'t ,�" • !''`
<br /> •
<br /> • maintaining subdivisions,and enhance - „t•-. ., • .
<br /> the value of completed developments. _ , .�*'• 4. '` `Y' - '' —
<br /> Arendt cites a growing body of evi- •+.." '- = I'
<br /> dence to note that housing clustered �` �.�rk
<br /> around common open space or green- F,T; <
<br /> ways is cost-effective to build and ap- .__.tiVetlands Mitigati0n Banking
<br /> •
<br /> preciates more rapidly in value than - COhouStng `
<br /> homes on conventional lots. Open-Space.Si hdNiSI0nS• "
<br /> The book is nothing if not thor- -
<br /> ough. It contains chapters on virtually . . .Superfuntt Liability •
<br /> every kind of commercial and residen- - ` '
<br /> tial development—from in-fill con- =-t- !=i•e�':- �. -arm • '
<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 of 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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