Design and Development for Sustainability: March 2008 Archives

Sustainable communities are sometimes billed as "smart communities" and they face the new reality that the majority of people now live in urban areas.  That is a change as recent as 2006!  Along with that change, the US is now a consumer-based economy, with 70% of the economy dependent on consumers. That affects our balance of living spaces to work spaces.  Sustainable community design is thriving as urban in-fill reclaims used spaces and upgrades crumbling buildings.  Green building is part of this shift, but social concerns are also part of making communities more livable.

One example of the new vision of sustainable community development is VMWP, a San Francisco, CA based architecture and community design firm.

The driving mission behind Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP (VMWP) is community development. Their goal is to enhance the physical nature and identity of buildings, neighborhoods and cities, mending communities and creating memorable places in an environmentally responsible way. They achieve this by focusing their architecture and urban design practice on affordable housing, urban design, town planning and mixed-use development.

This sustainability-focused design firm chooses to serve clients who have a similar focus. They are committed to going the extra mile to create quality, both in the creative designs they put forth, and in the quality of service they offer to like-minded organizations and individuals.

One VMWP project that exemplifies their services is the  California Avenue Overlay District. You can download a PDF presentation with details about this development to savor the sustainable details for balancing resident concerns with community density challenges.

Involving the nearby residents in the design criteria phase of community development leads to a better end result that maintains livability standards, property values and neighborly feelings. The concerns identified in the California Avenue project are somewhat typical of resident concerns whenever a large development is inserted into a community.

Resident Concerns

Residents are concerned that high density development adjacent to their property will decrease their property values and lower their standard of living.

Transitions to existing low density neighborhoods cause political tension. Regulating transitional zones to higher densities can ease community concerns

Large site developments often cause community stress. (No one wants a large development in their
backyard) Requiring multiple housing types for large sites creates the sense of finer grain development and provides opportunities for transitional densities.

Regulation of building façade elements creates a positive public realm and pedestrian experience.

Early identification of  design criteria that are sorted and shaped to meet the local situation are part of the architect and developer's job before design of buildings and landscapes begins:

Context Based Design Criteria

1. Pedestrian and Bicycle Environment - promote walkability and connectivity.
2. Street Building Facades - promote a strong relationship with sidewalk and street.
3. Massing and Articulation - minimize massing and provide articulation.
4. Low-Density Residential Transitions - respect scale and privacy of adjacent properties.
5. Project Open Space - provide usable open space.
6. Parking Design - design parking subordinate to the character of building.
7. Large (multi-acre) Sites - building patterns consistent with surrounding neighborhood.
8. Sustainability - sustainability and green building design should be incorporated

Site-Specific Design Guidelines for this project included…

• Maintain View Corridors
• Restrict Mass along Tracks with daylight plane
• Require Landscaping
• Limit length of mass along tracks

VMWP  includes  some general development guidelines in their downloadable presentation to help other communities start the sustainable community process.

Making Zoning and Design Guidelines work for your community:

• Develop Regulations which support your Community’s greater Comprehensive Plan Policies.
• Work closely with your community to educate as well as demonstrate the positive aspects of TOD and higher densities.
• Promote Design Guidelines which support quality development and insure appropriate context based design responses.
• Develop Regulations which are clear for the Development Community and provide for feasible developments.
• Create a Review Process which is clear concise and does not require to great up-front cost to development while allowing appropriate community review.

VMWP Partners

Tim Van Meter, Architect | Partner

Mr. Van Meter’s experience has ranged widely from buildings, to landscape designs, to urban designs for districts and neighborhoods. As a partner in Van Meter Williams Pollack, Tim has focused on mixed use developments, urban infill projects and affordable housing.

Rick Williams, Architect | Partner

Mr. Williams’ work has been on the forefront of mixed use pedestrian and transit-oriented planning and urban design. The scale of projects range from residential developments, mixed-use neighborhoods and urban infill to community plans and new town proposals.

Fred Pollack, Architect | Partner

As a partner in Van Meter Williams Pollack, Mr. Pollack has focused on affordable housing, and mixed-use developments. Fred has been the Partner in Charge of VMWP’s larger projects, guiding the projects from design through construction and post occupancy.

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