Crowding Can Be Good, Arendt Says

 

Randall Arendt, a land-use planner and site designer, believes that green space should be maximized in suburban developments.

Town planner Randall Arendt told a September gathering of Texas students that conservation design should influence conventional zoning to produce more livable communities.

Reducing the size of individual lots is offset by the creation of park and green spaces where neighbors can meet and recreate, he said. (Others have argued that Arendt?EUR??,,????'???s approach results in densely-packed, less-livable spaces.)

?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s much more important to look at more variables than the percentage of open space,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

The author of Preface to Rural by Design (1994) said that landscape architects should consider practices like tree and nature preservation which can save thousands of dollars. Arendt said that changes are needed in the planning process, such as making site analysis very detailed and requiring that sketch plans be drawn.

?EUR??,,????'??The secret of maintaining rural character is smaller lots,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??Smaller lots are really what neighborhoods are all about.?EUR??,,????'??

Source: The (University of Texas at Arlington) Shorthorn.