Urban Transect Classification System
Source: glaserworks: Architecture & Urban Design
www.glaserworks.com
A Transect is a device used to measure elements along a linear path. The Urban Transect is such a device used to categorize the scale of complex built (or un-built) environments. Andreas Duany, one of the country’s pre-eminent New Urbanist architects, created the Urban Transect as a tool to help communities visualize the desired character of places. It is incorporated in to the proprietary SmartCode, which is a model Form-Based Code. Antithetical to common zoning practices, the Urban Transect reflects the form and massing of the built environment, not necessarily theparticular uses of buildings or land within such environments. The Urban Transect helps us envision the codification of planned areas based on the desired character and scale of that environment. The Urban Transect helps communities prescribe an overall walkable, mixed use region with smaller areas of differing scales within. The Urban Transect does not just govern private property, but also public property (i.e.streets and sidewalks) because both elements should not be divorced from each other when planning high quality, pedestrian friendly environments. In other words, a street corridor is defined by the buildings that form it. The same can be said of urban places such as plazas and parks. The Urban Transect measures the scale of environments ranging from the Natural (T1) to the Urban Core (T6). These ‘T’ Zones describe, through analytical,abstract graphic methodology, different scales of the built environment. Communities can use ‘T’ Zones as a guide to planning their built environment. Doings will ensure that future development will meet their needs of use (e.g.–residential, office, retail, ecumenical, institutional,etc.)and will eliminate the undesired vehicle-only, sprawling pattern of development commonplace in America’s suburbs and exurbs. You can learn more about the Urban Transect by visiting the website of Andreas Duany’s firm: www.dpz.com.
The Cincinnati Transect
glaserworks Architecture and Urban Design has created the Cincinnati Transect so that people from the Cincinnati area can relate the ‘T’Zones described in Duany’s generic Urban Transect to actual local places. Many are as in greater Cincinnati are aligned with one or more of the ‘T’ zones as described in the Urban Transect. Many more, however, are not. Very often portions of neighborhoods will have some characteristics of a particular ‘T’ Zone but will not define such a zone purely. For instance, many neighborhoods that may have a well-scaled T3 zone (T3 = low density residential use in various forms such as single family detached, attached and multi - family) are compromised by the intrusion of a large vehicular thorough fare crashing through it. Often the thorough fare issized for traffic to get through the neighborhood with out regard to the neighborhood itself or its inhabitants. This results in an uncomfortable pedestrian experience. These areas would be better served with the T-3 zone blending into a T-4Z one over the thoroughfare. Those are as that are not in alignment with any of the ‘T’zones tend to be dominated by a vehicular scale and a pattern of sprawling, inefficient land use. These environments require that Cincinnatians drive everywhere for everything. glaserworks’ designers selected the areas shown in the diagram after weeks of research and consultation with Urban Land Institute members who were establishing the Form Based Code conference on October 3rd and 4th of 2008. glaserworks used photos of the selected areas - one aerial and one street view - to show theidentified area literally. We then abstracted the selected area and drew as it esection and figure- ground site plan. The simplicity of these drawings shows the essence of each are a to illustrate how it is aligned with a particular T-Zone. In whatT-Zone does your favorite Cincinnati place fit? If you could develop,or re-develop, your neighborhood, what T-Zones would you prescribe to ensure the walkable, urbane experience that you desire, or curb the sprawl you don’t desire? To learn more about the Cincinnati Transect or about the work of glaserworks, visit: www.glaserworks.com. If you would like to comment on the Cincinnati Transect please e-mail Jeff Raser at jraser@glaserworks.com. We would like to hear from you.
Download a printable version of the Cincinnati Transect.