 Definitions
and Concepts
Human Scale
Communities need to be
designed and built at a scale that relates to the people who
live, work, shop, and/or play there. Without a human scale,
an area feels dangerous or just uninviting. The issue of scale
is a three-dimensional one - vertical and horizontal in width
and depth. Vertically, by ensuring that tall buildings step
back from the street edge as they rise, views and light are
still accessible to people along the street. Horizontally, by
providing short, inter-connected routes - either in the form
of small blocks or by incorporating pedestrian alleys and shortcuts
- walking or biking from one location to another is facilitated.
Places are not inter-connected simply by roads and paths, however;
public spaces should also be woven into the fabric of the design.
Together this creates definitive edges and centralized gathering
areas, which make one place different from another, and therefore
valuable, both socially and economically.
Human
Scale | Mixed Use |
Access | Preservation
| Economics
Better Ways Resources | Definitions
and Concepts
Toolbox for Better Ways to Grow
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