Design First Walters fm qxd 2/26/04 7: 50 pm page I

Urban design concepts
12. Create compact, walkable neighborhoods with
connected streets, sidewalks and street trees to
make walking to work, to school, to the bus
stop, or train station, or just walking for pleasure
and exercise, safe, convenient and attractive.
13. Integrate offices and shops, along with commu-
nity facilities such as schools, churches, libraries,
parks and playgrounds into neighborhoods to
create places to walk to and reduce vehicle trips.
Design for densities that can support active
neighborhood life. (The Denver Regional Air
Quality Council estimated that urban designs
Smart growth principles
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that follow these guidelines can reduce the
Vehicle Miles Travelled [VMT] by as much as
10 percent [Allen, 16].)
14. Make public spaces the focus of building orien-
tation and neighborhood activity. Move large car
parks away from streets and screen them with
buildings.
15. Use compact building designs and layouts to min-
imize consumption of land and conserve natural
resources. 
Maintain and restore environmental
attributes of development sites
(Porter, 2000: p. 2).
16.
Design buildings to reduce the consumption of
energy and non-renewable resources and the produc-
tion of waste and pollution
(Porter, 2000: p. 2).
To all of which we would add:
17. Think three-dimensionally! Envision your com-
munity in urban design detail.
DESIGN FIRST: DESIGN BASED PLANNING FOR COMMUNITIES
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Extracts from a