ABSTRACT
The natural landscape has been created by competing environmental forces that have resolved into a stable balance. Development regulations and the design standards for roads and highways all ignore this natural process, expecting that land can be engineered to take whatever shape is wanted. As a result, there is often a critical mismatch between what is permitted and the carrying capacity of the land as a living ecosystem. The central urban design strategy in both the Arden Heights and Irvington examples in this chapter was to show the existing conditions, what would happen if the current development trend continued, and the better result that could be achieved instead by paying attention to natural forces. Today, Lidar-based computer mapping has provided an accurate tool for representing natural contours, vegetation, and drainage systems. Local communities can prepare comprehensive environmental protection plans using this kind of information, plus the advice of experts. Changes in the zoning and subdivision code, including removing the minimum lot size requirement – while preserving the zoned density – and substituting criteria for safety for numerical standards for street grading, lane width, and the radius of street curvature at intersections can make it easier to preserve the existing environment. Preventing erosion during torrential downpours can be achieved by devices for holding stormwater within individual properties, such as permeable paving and cisterns for roof water. Finally, renewable energy for individual properties can be supported by regulations which preserve access to sunlight and prevailing winds, an extension of the original reasons for requiring zoning regulations.
