Courtney Urban design precedent research

Celebration, FL Disney Celebration Villiage was a master planned development that opened in 1996 and was designed to be a model for new urbanism, Disney was trying to create the ideal village. Upon development, the village included a city center, town hall,movie theater, resturants, and a state of the art school.

After much controversy (such as the parents not able to change the school cirriculum) and pressure from the residents, Disney relenquished control of the town, many say the brand was not prepared to take on an actual town where unlike their theme parks, they can‘t control everything.

Critcisms of the master planned village include it feeling too planned and too fake. It is also criticised for not truly being a live-work-play new urbanist village, as many of its citizens had to drive elsewhere for work and other necessities.

Many said that despite its criticisms, they felt that they still had a different lifestyle at Celebration than they would if they lived in the suburbs. They said that they would stop and have conversations on the street with their friends and neighbors and they did have a better sense of community than where they were before.

Overview

Disney used new urbanist ideals such as the importance of the front porch as a social space, houses on smaller lots with less of a front yard to promote

social interaction with neighbors. They also saw the importance of the sidewalk, and the need for transportation other than a car

They created an outdoor room as a centerpoint in the city, promoting social interation and a place for people outside in

the community.

There were problems with the government while Disney was still in control of the development. While there was a home owners association, the people that lived there didn‘t really have a say as to what went on in the village. Even the town hall was private property of Disney and complaints by residents was given to an employee of Disney and sent to higher authority. Disney found that they were unable to manage an actual neighborhood, that is capable of change, like they could their theme parks.

The school at Celebration was one of it‘s worst failures, Disney didn‘t want a regular school in their idealized village, so the school there adopted a no fail philosophy, which was at the time a progressive experiment about how best children learn. No child failed and classes were taught with all the students at once (like reading), where none of the grades and ages were seperated. It was a massive failure and most parents took their children out of the school because of it.

Criticisms In the pursuit of trying to create the ideal villiage,one of the main criticisms is that the development feels too planned. Streets were washed nightly, and permission was needed to put a plant in your front yard.

The village is also criticised for being just another suburb. Residents complained that they still had to drive into town via the interstate to work or to other necessary services. One said Its great to have things to do on weekends like resurants and movie theaters, but I can‘t even get my hair cut here.

Relationships develop in the many programs, activities and opportunities offered within the community. Residents get to know their neighbors while taking part in local school and sports programs; enjoying the walking trails, parks and amenities; enjoying our restaurants and shops; participating in organizations, civic and social groups; and playing an active role on the committees and Boards responsible for operating Celebration.

The community’s foundation is based on five cornerstones:  Health, Education, Technology, Sense of Community and Sense of Place.

Residents love the small-town feel of the Memorial Day Flag Ceremony, July 4th parade and Veterans Day programs. The Family Camp Out, Movie Nights, Great Egg Hunt, Celebration Games, Fall Festival and Holiday Festival and Kids’ Shopping are a testimony to the importance of family here.

Celebration is a community where residents strongly believe in caring for their neighbors. This compassion even extends outside the geographical boundaries of the town.

- Celebration Website celebration.fl.us

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Racial Diversity

Celebration was unable to get a good diversity of people in the development, most being caucasian (over 75%) with some figures being 91%. This is much different than the average for the Orlando area.

Currently there are around $4,000 homes, with a home ownership rate of around 70%. The average cost of a home in Celebration is around $434,000, which is almost 3 times the state average, the median income is $97,000 which is about twice the avereage for Florida. There is about twice the state average for multi-unit housing options, which is in line with new urbanist principles.

The income diversity isn‘t very good in Celebration as well as the racial/cultural diversity and the diversity of the household types. Most people living there are part of the typical family, married with children. However, since it is geared toward families, it makes sense why it hasn‘t attracted as many young and single people.

The travel time to work is on avereage about 21 minutes, with the state average being 25 minutes, giving proof to the criticisms of Celebration being a glorified suburb. It wasn‘t able to accomplish the new urbanist ideal of a live-work-play enviroment of cultural and income diversity.

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The Cotton DistrictStarkville, MS

Starkville, MS and The Cotton District inside it has a very rich history and has been inhabited for over 2,100 years. Many american indian artifacts have been found in Starkville and the surrounding area.

The site that the Cotton Distict is build on was an old Cotton Mill that shut down in 1964, leaving the workers houses and itself in a state of dispair. In 1967 Urban Renewal laws were adopted by Starksville and the Cotton District was deemed an Urban Renewal site, however a small part was left out of the redevelopment plan.

Camp became interested in the project and was able to accquire land in the parts that were left out and began plans for a small strip of townhoses in these areas. Over the years he was able to accquire more and more land, each with their specific challenges, until the Cotton District as a precedent for New Urbanism came about.

OverviewThe Cotton District is located in Starkville, Ms and is directly adjacent to Mississippi State University. It was founded by Dan Camp and is considered the first new urbanist development.

Dan Camp is a former shop teacher and a self taught architect who bought land in a former industrial infill site and built over 200 dwellings and a small commercial center since 1972. He used the original street grid from 1830 and designed the buildings in the historical southern vernacular, and created a dense walkable community on a human scale.

Most of the people who live there are college studenta, however it has attracted others as well. Dan Camp‘s community has been highly praised by new urbanists.

Demographics

In addition to the age makeup of the population, it is also interesting to note the diversity of the types of households. Only a quarter of the population has children and only 35% are married. Most, over 50%, are non families, roommates living together, etc. 30% of households are single men or women that live alone.

Crime rates in The Cotton District are considered low and ranked about half the national average for crime.

Dan Camp was able to create an excellent example for New Urbanism with the Cotton District. He was able, in the past forty or so years, to create a dense, safe, and walkable community that is diverse in age, race, and income; while still keeping the history, culture, and architecture of the area alive.

Many architects and urban planners for new urbanism come to Starkville to see the Cotton District that was created by Camp as precedents for their work, and the type of community that they are aiming to create.

Population density is 851 people per square mile and housing density is 396 per square mile.

Median income for a household is $22,590 and 31% is below the poverty line, however that is probably due to the large population of students living in the Cotton District.

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Racial Diversity

It is interesting to note that half of the population is under the age of 24, and over 75% is under the age of 44. This is probably due to the proxemity to Mississippi State University.

This can lend some important information about the culture and type of atmosphere created in the town.

Comparitively, The Cotton District hsa a fairly diverse racial makeup, with only a little over 60% being of caucasian heratage.

This is probably due to the fact that this kind of living, as well as the affordability attracts all kinds of people and is something we should strive for in our project.

Mesa Del SolAlbuquerque, NM

Early renderings of the project show its sheer scale as well as the dense urban enviroments that the designers are trying to create.

Mesa Del Sol is the largest New Urbanism design project ever to be attempted and may take five decades or longer to reach full buildout. It was designed by architect Peter Calthorpe and is trying to create a better and more connected way to live. The plan includes schools, shopping, parks, swimming pools, etc. It is also planned to have:

- 38,000 residential units - a housing population of 100,000 - a 1,400 acre industrial office park - four town centers and an urban center - a downtown that would provide a twin city to Albequerque

Mesa Del Sol has been in planning since the 1980s, and ground broke to start the project in 2005 with building of the new infrastructure for the site.

Aperture Center

The Aperture Center in Mesa Del Sol is meant to be a mixed use center for the development. It was designed and build for a variety of building types including retail, resturants, a visitors center and a hub for social interac-tion. They also have worked with the University of New Mexico, which will have a center in the new building as well as Digital Media Center with a screening theater and film editing suites and instructional studios.

it was designed by Jon Anderson and the facade is supposed to give a weathered presence as if it is an artifact of the site, like weathered bones one could possibly find in the high desert. The arrangement of entries and the way the building responds to the condi-tions of the site promotes social interactioin in an outdoor enviroment. The building is meant to be an “Urban Activator” on all sides.

The design in the glass on the facade of the building is meant to mimic the beaity of weathered bones that could be found in the desert while