The Smart Growth Manual by Andres Duany - A Comprehensive Guide to Sustainable Urban Design

Urbanization is a global phenomenon that is rapidly transforming the way we live, work, and interact with our environment. As cities continue to expand, it is crucial to implement smart growth strategies that promote sustainable urban design, improve quality of life, and preserve natural resources. The Smart Growth Manual, written by renowned architect and urban planner Andres Duany, offers a comprehensive guide to achieving these goals.

The Author: Andres Duany

Andres Duany is a pioneer in the field of urban planning and design. His notable works include the development of the town of Seaside, Florida, which served as a model for new urbanism and smart growth principles. Duany is a co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism and has been instrumental in influencing public policies and shaping communities around the world.

The Smart Growth Manual

by Andres Duany (1st Edition, Kindle Edition)

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	18044 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	240 pages

FREE

What is Smart Growth?

Smart growth is an approach to urban planning that aims to create compact, walkable, and transit-oriented communities while preserving open spaces and natural resources. It emphasizes mixed land use, connectivity, and diverse housing options to foster vibrant neighborhoods and reduce dependency on private cars. The Smart Growth Manual delves into the core principles and strategies that define smart growth, providing practical insights and examples for implementation.

The Content: A Comprehensive Guide

The Smart Growth Manual comprises four sections that cover various aspects of sustainable urban design:

1. Building Blocks: This section focuses on the fundamental elements of smart growth, including the importance of building relationships between land use and transportation, fostering diversity in housing options, and integrating nature into urban environments.
2. Neighborhoods: Duany explores the creation of complete and vibrant neighborhoods by promoting mixed-use developments, expanding parks and green spaces, and enhancing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. He also highlights the significance of building communities that prioritize social interaction and cultural diversity.
3. Methods: This section provides practical strategies for implementing smart growth principles, such as form-based codes, transit-oriented development, and retrofitting existing neighborhoods. Duany offers insights on how to engage stakeholders, navigate regulatory frameworks, and collaborate with various disciplines to achieve sustainable urban design.
4. Action: The final section of the manual presents case studies and success stories that exemplify the impact of smart growth. Duany showcases real-life examples from different cities and demonstrates how smart growth principles can be applied and adapted to suit diverse contexts.

Why Should You Read The Smart Growth Manual?

Whether you are an urban planning professional, architect, developer, or simply someone interested in the future of our cities, The Smart Growth Manual is an essential resource. It offers a wealth of knowledge and practical advice to help shape sustainable communities and combat urban sprawl. Duany's writing not only educates but also inspires readers to become advocates for change and catalysts for smart growth in their own communities.

The Impact of Smart Growth

Implementing smart growth principles can have numerous benefits. Firstly, it helps optimize land use by creating compact, mixed-use developments that minimize the need for long commutes and reduce traffic congestion, thus improving air quality. Additionally, smart growth promotes affordable housing options and ensures access to essential services, such as education, healthcare, and recreational facilities.

Furthermore, smart growth fosters stronger communities by encouraging social interaction, promoting diversity, and creating walkable neighborhoods. It also preserves natural resources and protects the environment by preserving open spaces, integrating green infrastructure, and reducing carbon emissions.

In

The Smart Growth Manual by Andres Duany is a comprehensive and engaging guide to sustainable urban design. It offers a wealth of knowledge, practical strategies, and real-life examples that empower readers to adopt smart growth principles and transform their communities. By embracing smart growth, we can create cities that are not only environmentally sustainable but also economically vibrant and socially inclusive.

The Smart Growth Manual

by Andres Duany (1st Edition, Kindle Edition)

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	18044 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	240 pages

FREE

Everyone is calling for smart growth...but what exactly is it?

In The Smart Growth Manual, two leading city planners provide a thorough answer. From the expanse of the metropolis to the detail of the window box, they address the pressing challenges of urban development with easy-to-follow advice and broad array of best practices.

With their landmark book Suburban Nation, Andres Duany and Jeff Speck "set forth more clearly than anyone has done in our time the elements of good town planning" (The New Yorker). With this long-awaited companion volume, the authors have organized the latest contributions of new urbanism, green design, and healthy communities into a comprehensive handbook, fully illustrated with the built work of the nation's leading practitioners.

"The Smart Growth Manual is an indispensable guide to city planning. This kind of progressive development is the only way to fully restore our economic strength and create new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete in the first rank of world economies." -- Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco

"Authors Andres Duany, Jeff Speck, and Mike Lydon have created The Smart Growth Manual, a resource which not only explains the overarching ideals of smart growth, but a manual that takes the time to show smart growth principles at each geographic scale (region, neighborhood, street, building). I highly recommend [it] as a part of any community participant’s or urban planner’s desktop references." -- LocalPlan.org

Planetizen Top 10 Books – 2010
On the ninth annual list of the ten best books in urban planning, design and development:
"The goal of The Smart Growth Manual is clear from page 1: to create a guidebook for smart growth following the pattern of the Charter for New Urbanism. Duany, Speck and Lydon have achieved that in spades (the Charter is included in the appendix, in case we missed the connection). It even clears up some of the architectural arguments that attach themselves to New Urbanists, such as this segment of Section 14.1, Regional Design; 'While new buildings should not be compelled to mimic their historic predecessors, designers should pay attention to local practices regarding materials and colors, roof pitches, eave lengths, window-to-wall ratios, and the socially significant relationship of buildings to their site and the street; these have usually evolved in intelligent response to local conditions.' In addition to making the old 'traditional vs. modern' argument irrelevant, Duany, Speck and Lydon have truly managed to boil down the best parts of current practices into a highly readable, portable book."