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Sprawl Retrofit: Sustainable Urban Form in Unsustainable Places

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  • Emily Talen

    (School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, PO Box 875302, Tempe, AZ 85287-5302, USA)

Abstract

This paper makes a contribution to the suburban retrofit/sprawl repair literature by suggesting a method that planners can use to evaluate the potential of some places to be catalysts for an improved—more sustainable—urban form. The strategy is aimed at evaluating and then promoting sustainable urban form in unsustainable places. The method puts sprawl retrofit projects into a larger planning framework, suggesting ways to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of places in relative terms, taking into account how different kinds of nodes—from light rail stops to parking lots—varying with respect to sustainable urban form characteristics. Overlaying data on accessibility, density, diversity, and connectivity reveals areas with varying levels of sustainable urban form. Intervention in potential retrofit locations consists of neighborhood and site-scale design, including suggestions for code reform, intensification of land use around nodes, public investment in civic space, traffic calming, and incentives for private development.

Suggested Citation

  • Emily Talen, 2011. "Sprawl Retrofit: Sustainable Urban Form in Unsustainable Places," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 38(6), pages 952-978, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:38:y:2011:i:6:p:952-978
    DOI: 10.1068/b37048
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giles-Corti, B. & Donovan, R.J., 2003. "Relative Influences of Individual, Social Environmental, and Physical Environmental Correlates of Walking," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1583-1589.
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    2. Qi Zhang & Esther Hiu Kwan Yung & Edwin Hon Wan Chan, 2018. "Towards Sustainable Neighborhoods: Challenges and Opportunities for Neighborhood Planning in Transitional Urban China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-23, February.
    3. Scoppa, Martin & Bawazir, Khawla & Alawadi, Khaled, 2019. "Straddling boundaries in superblock cities. Assessing local and global network connectivity using cases from Abu Dhabi, UAE," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 770-782.
    4. Haoying Han & Noman Sahito & Thuy Van Thi Nguyen & Jinsoo Hwang & Muhammad Asif, 2019. "Exploring the Features of Sustainable Urban Form and the Factors that Provoke Shoppers towards Shopping Malls," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-20, September.
    5. Anna D’Auria & Marco Tregua & Manuel Carlos Vallejo-Martos, 2018. "Modern Conceptions of Cities as Smart and Sustainable and Their Commonalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, July.

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