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Commentary

Complex planning issues call for sustainable solutions

November 18, 2014

Historically, we have always strived to organize our surroundings, control our environment, tame the wilderness; or in other words, create a sense of place. Native Americans planned communities and cultivated food for the betterment of their clans, and even manipulated the earth to accommodate their dwellings, bury their dead, and align themselves with celestial bodies.

Following them, colonization focused on land adjacent to areas most conducive to accessible ports and trading establishments.

Then moving west, towns and cities organically grew, mostly at important crossroads or junctions of trails. These ports, crossroads, and other important natural features lent themselves to become our first gathering spaces. They were to become our first churches, schools, market greens, and public taverns where citizens began to come together as a community and plan for future growth.

Back then, town planning was based on the horse and carriage as transportation, and more importantly the pedestrian. As a result, our most historic and often described charming areas found throughout our country have many elements in common: a well-defined, pedestrian-scaled streetscape, a common green or open-air marketplace, institutional or public uses that anchor the town, and a density defined cross-section or transect that can be clearly seen when taken through the town’s center.

This transect can be broken down into categories based on density with a tightly compact, mixed-use core at the center fading into less dense suburbs as you move away from downtown.

Agricultural “green belts” surrounded the towns where food was grown and raised and then transported into the cities. The area between the green belt and the more-dense core is considered the Edge zone and it is here where most of our single-family residential development occurs, and is most often associated with suburban sprawl.

Smart Growth initiatives have been trending for quite some time to combat sprawl. But what is Smart Growth? Leading principles of smart growth include preservation of land, protection of environmental features, and directing development into existing communities. However, some feel that smart growth initiatives also inhibit progress, restrict property rights, and reduce economical opportunities. This debate creates an environment where little gets done and frustrations run deep.  We are bombarded with tag lines and campaign slogans from every direction. These arguments do little to solve problems, and many times leave both sides angry and resentful for when the next development comes along.

What we need are innovative and sustainable solutions that bring a balance between our built and natural environments. This, however, involves new ideas and new ways of viewing our landscape, all the while respecting traditional design elements that help create our sense of place.

As a landscape architect, I view our surroundings with an observant eye, and I encourage you to do the same. When you find yourself in an especially pleasing or comfortable place, ask why? What makes this place special? Why do I feel at home here? How does this spot compare to another that I don’t necessarily enjoy? Your lists may surprise you. Could it be arching street trees providing shade, the benches providing areas of respite, the street lights providing security at night, on-street parking that helps to slow traffic and provide a safety measure between vehicular and pedestrian circulation, the generous sidewalks, outdoor dining areas, the width of the streetscape (too narrow and it feels confined - too wide and it feels exposed), the scale of the buildings, colorful banners and hanging baskets? Perhaps it’s a combination, or all of these things that help create that sense of place and the rhythm of the space. These design fundamentals, used throughout the country, reflect Traditional Neighborhood Design.

On the innovative side, technological advances and understanding of ecosystem services have come to the forefront of sustainable design. Green roofs, water recycling, naturalistic storm water measures, solar cells, and urban farming, just to name a few have all made substantial gains in the last decade. It will be the blending of these innovative tools and traditional neighborhood design elements that will foster a sustainable path forward for proper planning in Sussex County. We must also remind ourselves what sustainability really means…meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Our Common Future, Bruntland Commission 1987)

Instead of viewing development in our county as a necessary but negative impact, we need to start looking at in a different light: if done correctly, it has the potential to be a model of sustainable growth not just for our region, but for communities nationwide. Ideas like co-housing, new public transportation models, universal design, community gardens, low-impact design among others are quickly taking center-stage and are reminiscent of when our communities were based on the pedestrian and not on the car. In order for these things to occur, our journey must start now, and all it takes is a question…Can this be done a better way? How can we approach this differently? Can we incorporate sustainable elements here? What if we did it this way? Indeed, what if?

Our success will not be measured by the end result, but rather how we respond to questions along our journey.

Eric W. Wahl, RLA, is a landscape architect at Element Design Group in Lewes, president of the Delaware Native Plant Society, and adjunct professor at Delaware Technical Community College where he helps teach the Sustainable Landscaping Certificate Program, Landscape Design, and assisted in formulating a Certified Delaware Sustainability Professional course.

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