How El Paso Ended Up With America's Best Smart Growth Plan (Paris: appointed, 2015)

[mistabinks]

Great article.

How El Paso Ended Up With America's Best Smart Growth Plan - Housing - The Atlantic Cities

[TexasCCW]

Read that article earlier this week. Here is a more in depth report I found last week. Although it appears to be a draft it has all the elements that were touched on in the above mentioned article.

http://www.elpasotexas.gov/downtown/information/downtown_plan/draft_dt_2015_plan.pdf (broken link)

[case44]

It is certainly an interesting plan for the city, and one of the most comprehensive I've seen. El Paso needs creativity to improve all sustainable types of progress and mobility. And not just for downtown, but other parts of town, as well. Hopefully, new growth will not be limited by this, but rather encouraged. I'll be interested to see how this comes forth.

[TexasCCW]

case44, look at the proposed building at "The Fountains at Farah"

You can do a search in these forums. It looks to be a mixed use project. I'm personally excited as this will bring new ideas and concepts that are catching on.

[Chuco]

Wow! That is awesome, thanks for posting those links.

[fordvictory]

I love new urbanist designed settlements and enjoy listening to the likes of Andres Duany... but let's get real. No matter how visionary a city plan - the greatest cities in the world came about gradually without a centralized planning committee.

The only way to get a city fast and cheap is eliminating zoning and building all together. Eliminating zoning would double night life over night. It would also give El Paso a much needed economic boost. Also get rid of all those "historical" districts. People whom want to improve their homes are unable to because of zealous planning commissions that scrutinize every detail.

All government programs are slow, expensive and lack free choice.

[kidicarus89]

Originally Posted by fordvictory

I love new urbanist designed settlements and enjoy listening to the likes of Andres Duany... but let's get real. No matter how visionary a city plan - the greatest cities in the world came about gradually without a centralized planning committee.

The only way to get a city fast and cheap is eliminating zoning and building all together. Eliminating zoning would double night life over night. It would also give El Paso a much needed economic boost. Also get rid of all those "historical" districts. People whom want to improve their homes are unable to because of zealous planning commissions that scrutinize every detail.

All government programs are slow, expensive and lack free choice.

If you want to see what a zoning free community looks like, look no further than Sparks. Now imagine that on a grand scale.

"Fast and cheap" is the exact opposite goal of any city planner. And yes, the "greatest cities in the world" were still designed by civil engineers and planners. Washington, D.C. was, for example, designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, and given approval by a commission appointed by George Washington.

Phoenix owes its grid pattern to the town fathers who laid out the plan during the end of the 19th century. That's why it remains to this day the country's most easily navigable large city.

Paris was given a massive modernization in the 1860s, which is why it looks like it does today. Yes, done by civil engineers.

Methinks you have no idea what you're talking about.

[fordvictory]

Originally Posted by kidicarus89

If you want to see what a zoning free community looks like, look no further than Sparks. Now imagine that on a grand scale.

"Fast and cheap" is the exact opposite goal of any city planner.

You just confirmed my point. Why would I want something done slow and expensively? That's ridiculous.

Originally Posted by kidicarus89

And yes, the "greatest cities in the world" were still designed by civil engineers and planners. Washington, D.C. was, for example, designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, and given approval by a commission appointed by George Washington.

How about Brasilia? Another government marvel?

Originally Posted by kidicarus89

Phoenix owes its grid pattern to the town fathers who laid out the plan during the end of the 19th century. That's why it remains to this day the country's most easily navigable large city.

I don't have a problem with someone laying out an initial grid, especially if it's done by local citizens. My problem is when code becomes "form based" and has a bunch of extra restrictions such as building height, design, frontage, ect.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by fordvictory

You just confirmed my point. Why would I want something done slow and expensively? That's ridiculous.



How about Brasilia? Another government marvel?



I don't have a problem with someone laying out an initial grid, especially if it's done by local citizens. My problem is when code becomes "form based" and has a bunch of extra restrictions such as building height, design, frontage, ect.

And this "smart growth" looks very environmentally hideous and like more urban sprawl, they plan to have big subdivisions built right near the Franklin State Park, but if they call it a smart growth plan, no one notices how much urban sprawl it contains and how much it damages what's left of the environment. And of course much more carving up of the mountain is included in these plans.

[mistabinks]

Absolutely. That is probably why the Environmental Protection Agency honored the draft. Because of the damage it is going to do to the environment.



It is as if you do not even read the current available information before returning to your agenda and narrow minded views.