CONTENTS
List of Figures xi
List of Tables XV
Acknowledgements xvii
Introduction xix
PART I-LAND
1.Landforms 3
Definition 3
The Importance of the Study of Landforms to Designers of Urban Areas 3
How Landforms Affect Urban Development 3
The Influence of Landforms on the Location of Cities 5
The Influence of Landforms on the Form of Cities 5
Definitions of Some Frequently Used Geological Terms 7
2. Maps 9
Some Basic Definitions 9
Map Scale 9
Planimetric Maps and Topographic Maps 10
Interpreting Topographic Maps 10
Characteristics of Contours 13
The Direction of the Flow of Water Over Terrain 15
A Useful Tool for Reading Maps 15
USGS Maps 16
Measurin g Mapped Land Areas 17
3. The Constraints of Slope.on Land Development 22
Visualizing Slope 22
The Concept of Slope Analysis 22
The Effect of Slope on Land Uses 24
Making a Slope Analysis 24
PART II-UTILITIES
4. Water Supply and Distribution 35
A Brief History of Water Supply and Distribution in the United States 35
The Basic Water Supply and Distribution System 35
Macro Influences of Water Supply on Urban Form 36
The Demand for Water 37
Water Pressure 38
Design Guidelines for Central Water Supply Systems 38
Calculating the Potential Service Area of a Water Supply System 39
Definitions 44
The Wastewater Planning Process 51
Design Guidelines for Sewers 52
Simple Examples of Determining the Extent of Areas That Can Be Sewered 53
Septic Tank Systems 54
Design Guidelines for Septic Tank Systems 56
Package Plants 57
The Relationship of Wastewater Management and Urban Development 57
Alternative Forms of Wastewater Management 58
6. Storm Drainage 61
Introduction 61
Storm Drainage and City Location 61
Influences of Storm Drainage on Urban Form 61
Definitions 63
Annual Distribution of Precipitation 64
Summary of "The Storm Drainage System" 64
Storm Sewers 64
Calculating Runoff 66
Determinants of Runoff Quantity 66
Estimating Runoff Quantity 69
The Rational Equation Method of Estimating Runoff 69
Sources of Hydrologic Information 70
7. "Other Utilities" 71
The Influence of "Other Utilities" on Urban Form 71
Characteristics of Various Utilities 71 Locations of Residential Utility Lines 73
Issues in Urban Development Concerning "Other Utilities" 73
PART III-TRANSPORTATION
8.Introduction to Transportation Planning 79
The Scope of Transportation Planning 79
The Major Branches of Transportation Planning 80
Definitions of Some Very Basic Transportation Terms 80
An Overview of the Transportation Planning Process 81
Comments on the Transportation Planning Process 85
The Hierarchy of Streets 85
Types of Streets and Highways 87
9.Street Capacity 92
Some Basic Definitions 92
Potential Street Capacities 92
Factors That Reduce Street Capacity 93
Calculating Highway Capacity 97
Why Calculate Highway Capacity? 97
How Do We Describe Intensities of Highway Usage? 98
The Level of Service Concept 98
The Relationship of "Level of Service" and the "Volume-to-Capacity Ratio" 99
10. Basic Highway Design
A Note on Terminology 104
AASHTO Design Standards and Procedures 104
Use of the Metric System 104
Some Basic Road Design Questions 105 Average Daily Traffic 105
Design Hourly Volume 106
Designing for Peak-Hour Flows 106 Considering Directional Flows 106
Design Speed 107
Design Level of Service 107
Basic Road Design Procedures 107
Horizontal Alignment Geometry 108 Minimum Safe Radius for Curves 110
Superelevation Runoff and Transition Curves 111
Spiral Curves 112
Sight Distance 112
Vertical Alignment Geometry 115
Interpreting "Stations" Shown on Plans of Roads 120
General Guidelines for Geometric Design 120
Procedures for Drawing Horizontal Curves 122
11. Parking
Introduction 125
The Sizes of Cars and Their Effect on the Design of Parking Facilities 126
On-street Parking 126
Forms of On-street Parking 126
On-street Parallel Parking 127
On-street Angle Parking •127
Design Guidelines for Parking Aisles and Stalls 127
Off-Street Parking Lots 129
Methods of Off-Street Parking 131
Design Options for Parking Garages 131
Criteria for Parking Garage Sites 132
Below-ground Parking Garages 132
Average Space Per Parking Stall 132
Costs of Off-Street Parking Facilities 133
Special Parking Topics 133
12. Transit Planning
Purpose 136
Introduction 136
Comparing Transit Service With the Use of Private Cars 136
Relative Travel Times for Some Hypothetical Situations 137
An Alternative Scenario 138
The Use of Public Transit 138
Some Basic Definitions 139
Definitions of Various Forms of Transit Service 139
Major Types of Transit Vehicles 140
Speeds of Various Modes of Transit 141
The Economic Costs of Building Transit Systems 142
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Public Transit 143
The Feasibility of Transit in Relation to Trip-End Density 144
Goals in Transit Planning 146
Issues in Transit Planning 146
Alternative Forms of Transit 147
Why Some New Forms of Transit May Have Been Passed By 148
Transit Planning Procedures 148
PART IV-RESIDENTIAL AREAS
13. Introduction to Housing
A General Housing Goal 153
Some Specific Housing Goals 153
Some Housing Issues 154
Participants in Housing 154
Some Housing Definitions 155
Forms of Housing 155
The Need for a Variety of Housing Forms 165
14.Residential Density 167
Concepts of Residential Density 167
Some Definitions 167
Using Residential Density as a Design Tool 168
Coverage and Floor Area Ratio 168
Relationships Among Building Type, Residential Density, and Floor Area Ratio 169
15.Neighborhood Planning
History 177
The Traditional Definition of the Neighborhood Unit 177
Reasons for Using the Neighborhood Concept 178
Positive Features of the Neighborhood Unit Concept 180
Criticisms of the Neighborhood Unit Concept 181
Neighborhoods in Established Urban Areas 182
General Procedures Used for Neighborhood Planning 182
Neighborhoods and The New Urbanism 183
New Urbanists Use the Neighborhood Concept 185 Conclusions 185
16. Street Design in Residential Areas
Introduction 187
Basic Residential Street Systems 187
Block Types 194
Types of Residential Streets 195
Residential Streets 196
Design Guidelines for Access Streets and Subcollector Streets 197
Design Guidelines for Residential Collector Streets 198
Clear Sight Distance 199
Residential Street/Lot Relationships 199
General Guidelines for Residential Street Design 200
Parking in Subdivisions 201
17. The Subdivision Process
Background 203
Why We Have Subdivision Regulations 203
The Land Subdivision Process 204
A Summary of the Subdivision Design Process 205
A More Detailed Review of Phase I: Preparation of a "Preliminary Subdivision Map"
Undertaking Phases II and III 213
18. Single-Family Subdivisions
Streets Serving Subdivisions 214
Some General Guidelines Concerning Streets in Subdivisions 215
Block and Lot Patterns for Subdivisions 215
Block Sizes and Shapes 216
Conventional Lot Sizes and Shapes 217
Nonconventional Lots 217
Cluster Development 220
Siting Single-Family Structures 221
Providing Community Facilities in Subdivisions 223
19. Multifamily Developments 224
Introduction 224
Roads in Multifamily Areas 225
Parking in Multifamily Areas 225
Block and Lot Patterns 226
Siting Apartment Structures 226
20. Community Facilities 229
Introduction 229
A Generic Process for Planning Community Facilities 229
The "NIMBY Syndrome" 235
Meeting the Objections 236
Appendix A Exercises (Listed by Chapter) 239
Appendix B Using This Book as a Classroom Text 260
Appendix C Derivation of Equations Which Relate Building Height, Density, and Coverage 261
Index 263