Land UseLand UseCity PlanningCity PlanningCity DesignCity Design

Land Use: DefinitionLand Use: Definition Land use is the modification of the

natural environment or wilderness by humans

Modifications include creating fields, pastures, roads, and settlements

GovernmentGovernment City/ Urban Government

Common CouncilMayorAlderperson

Country/ Rural GovernmentTown ChairCounty Board

Public HearingsPublic Hearings Recommendations made by council

committees may require public hearings The public is invited to make

comments to the common council Are 12 and 13 year olds allowed to

speak at council meetings and public hearings?

YES!

ZoningZoning Residential (R-1; R-2; R-3)

Single family; duplex; multifamily Commercial Agricultural (A-1; A-2; A-3) Tax Exempt

School, church, city hall, police, fire… Recreational Industrial

City Growth: Urban PlanningCity Growth: Urban Planning Includes the built and social environments

of municipalities and communities Building Architecture Landscape Architecture Roads and highways Recreation Education Safety

Eminent DomainEminent Domain Eminent domain gives the government

the right to possess all property within the state

It was intended to only take private property for public use (roads, utilities)

However it recently has been invoked to take land for commercial businesses like shopping malls

AnnexationAnnexation It’s the process that transfers parcels of

land from smaller towns to cities For cities it’s a way to continue

growing and developing Towns lose population, territory, and

taxes so it’s often seen as hostile If it’s not done thoughtfully, it can lead

to higher taxes for the city

America- America- Building for the AutomobileBuilding for the Automobile

One in Eight (12.5%) jobs in the U.S. is directly related to transportation

440,000 public school buses transport 24 million children each day

68.9% of all petroleum used in the US is for transportation

More Transportation FactsMore Transportation Facts In 2006 there were 8,371,718 miles of

roads in the U.S. (US DOT)

That equals almost 55,000 SQUARE MILES of land used just for roads

This does not include parking lots! Wisconsin’s land area is 54,310 sq

miles

Automobiles have changed Automobiles have changed the landscapethe landscape

Paving land means that water can’t percolate into the ground water

That water is funneled into lakes and rivers via storm drains

This can destroy aquatic organisms Watertown gets about 30.88 inches of

precipitation annually

Let’s put that in Perspective… A parking lot is 50 feet by 100 feet The area = 5000 sq feet; times 12 equals 60,000 sq inches Times 30.88 inches of precipitation Equals 1,852,800 cubic inches of water;

divided by 12 equals 154,400 cubic feet; divided by 3 equals 51,466.666 cubic yards of water That’s 10,396,065.03 gallons from that

one parking lot in one year

Floodplains protect against flooding

FloodplainFloodplain

River at flood stage

Filling in & building in the floodplain

Floodplain buried by fill Floodplain buried by fill

Flooding inevitable

Sprawl in WatertownSprawl in Watertown Many of the commercial buildings on Hwy

26 are built on filled-in floodplain The drive-thru for Rocky Rococo’s slid

into the river one week after it opened Now that there is no floodplain, where will

the water go after a flood? We can’t keep allowing this kind of

development without repercussions

SustainabilitySustainability Sustainability is a characteristic of a

process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely

Sustainable Development Stephen Wheeler: “Development that improves the long-term social and ecological health of cities and towns."

Why consider Sustainability?Why consider Sustainability? Urban development creates many problems:

Overuse of natural resourcesEcosystem/ Natural Habitat destructionUrban heat islands and climate changePollutionGrowing inequality in cities (Racism)Poor living conditions & quality of lifeHow can quality of life be made better?

“Man's heart away from nature becomes hard”

Chief Luther Standing Bear, 1891

GreenspaceGreenspace Greenspace provides natural areas for

people living in urban areas Greenspaces are multi-functional and

are used by many different people for many different things

It can help deter flooding They also offer habitat for wildlife

Greenspace: Fukuoka City, Japan

Greenspace: Piedmont Park, Atlanta

What can you see in this field?

Urban Sprawl Urban Sprawl Urban growth without central planning

and control becomes urban sprawl It often starts by building along main roads

and highways Sprawl is made worse by commercial

development like strip malls Provides high visibility for advertising

Example of Strip MallExample of Strip Mall

Sprawl Costs Us AllSprawl Costs Us All Allowing sprawl costs taxpayers more than

careful planning and development Cities must provide new infrastructure

(schools, roads, police, fire, gas lines, water and sewer) to serve a dispersed population

These costs are more than the city gets back in tax revenue

All infrastructure needs maintenance

Sprawl development forces more commuting Driving to work and to the store means we

spend more on fuel and car maintenance Families spend less time together Smart Growth includes a convenient blend of

residential and commercial zoning Smart Growth is sustainable It allows choices of walking or biking to

destinations

Sprawl happens even in the country

Sprawl follows the roads

There is no way to walk to the store with this kind of development

Conservation DesignConservation Design Randall Arendt is well known designer http://www.landchoices.org/docfilm/arendt_clip1.htm Controlled-growth land use that adopts the principle

that ‘nature knows best’ Allows sustainable development while protecting

the area’s natural features in perpetuity Includes preserving open space and vista, protecting

farmland and natural habitats Maintains the quaint character of rural communities

Does this look like a healthy place to live?

Typical DevelopmentTypical Development

Homes on Large Lots

Conservation DesignConservation Design

Smaller lots with more Greenspace

Common Greenspace Common Greenspace requires a change in requires a change in

thinking…thinking… We need to move past the idea of

exclusive ownership, to some extent We adopt a cooperative philosophy

that sharing these spaces is best for everyone, not just those that can afford large lots

Subdivision Design Subdivision Design ProjectProject

Riverwood SubdivisionRiverwood Subdivision Role Play- Zenith Council meeting Riverwood is the oldest part of the

large city Zenith Zenith has a population of 200,000 The following arguments are from

past student responses:

Pro-DevelopmentPro-Development New jobs More jobs Buildings in disrepair need fixing Hazardous; woods not safe for kids More people means less taxes More income for city services

Pro-DevelopmentPro-Development Less poverty Better education; more schools Better transportation/ more efficient Modern buildings- energy efficient More things to do; more skate parks,

etc.

Pro-DevelopmentPro-Development Less welfare Improved technology More sports for kids Sustain professional sports Less dust from dirt roads City can grow better if we start over

Pro-DevelopmentPro-Development New boat dock ABC will pay to relocate residents Marsh full of garbage More money for parks Offer enough to bring Olympics to

Zenith

Pro-DevelopmentPro-Development Proposal can change if needed Taller buildings, less land used Modern buildings are cool More tourism; more hotels, casinos More police- safer Increased business connections

Anti-DevelopmentAnti-Development View will be obstructed Landmarks destroyed Need to keep marsh for wildlife and

flood control Children play in woods More air pollution with development More traffic = more accidents

Anti-DevelopmentAnti-Development Pay more for insurance Higher taxes Less farmland if developed More noise pollution Transportation problems; traffic jams There is a petition against it

Anti-DevelopmentAnti-Development More water pollution Not enough residential/ homes Poor land use Architecture not aesthetic More crime More poverty

Anti-DevelopmentAnti-Development Too many people Buildings too close Not enough greenspace More maintenance/ cost Loss of quaintness

Anti-DevelopmentAnti-Development More competition for jobs Gangs like bigger cities Waste disposal problems Less outdoor recreation Lose natural beauty

Anti-DevelopmentAnti-Development Smaller community is family-oriented More boats mean we can’t swim Not as peaceful Won’t be able to fish Modern buildings look ugly

Now what?Now what? Both sides have valid arguments We should be able to find sound

solutions to these problems

ConsensusConsensus Achieving consensus requires serious

consideration of every opinion Your job is to create a proposal that

finds a compromise between the pro-development and anti-development factions

You will present your proposal orally

Victorian Style Architecture

Greek Revival Style Architecture

Art Deco Style Architecture

Modern Architecture

Spanish Revival Architecture

Georgian Architecture

Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture

Early Colonial Architecture

Country/ Log Construction