Traditional Neighborhood Development

Contents

• Introduction
• Washington Examples of Traditional Neighborhood Development
• Traditional Neighborhood Development - Other States
• Traditional Neighborhood Development and Grid Street Networks

Introduction

Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) is similar to Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in its emphasis on compact, mixed-use, transit- and pedestrian-oriented development. However, in TOD development, the priority is on immediate access to transit - TOD development is often focused around transit stations. TND offers a blueprint for the greater community based on traditional town patterns. Neighborhoods, sized for easy walking distance, function as the basic building block. TND planners emphasize human-scale design, town and neighborhood centers, public spaces, civic uses and other features that foster a sense of community. TND is also characterized by an interconnected network of narrow streets. Narrow street widths, on-street parking, street trees and other features are intended to slow local traffic and create a safe, attractive environment for pedestrians, in addition to cars. Transit and bicycle travel are also accommodated. The grid pattern of streets includes collectors and arterials, but also provides a variety of routes for local traffic. Service alleys are also a hallmark of TND.

Washington Examples of Traditional Neighborhood Development

• Sumner Municipal Code, sec.18.12.090 - Traditional neighborhood design optional development standards.
• Sumner, Single-Family Residential/Traditional Neighborhood Community Design Optional Development Standards, p. 73, in Sumner Urban Design Concept Plan and Design and Development Guidelines (5.1 Mb) 2003.
• Sumner Community Connection - Please see: Building Sumner's new 'Daffodil Neighborhood' and Housing Meets Traditional Community Design Standards - Descriptions of some of Sumner's award-winning traditional neighborhood developments.
• Northwest Landing - DuPont, Washington, by Jason Miller, The Town Paper, Spring, 2005.
• DuPont Municipal Code, Ch. 25.20 – Residential Districts, and Ch. 25.65 - Multifamily Design Regulations and Guidelines.  
• North Bend Municipal Code, sec. 18.06.030 - "traditional neighborhood development pattern" definition and ch. 18.12 - Planned Neighborhood District.
• Puyallup Municipal Code, sec. 20.26.200 (3) - Traditional street system and orientation and sec. 20.25.021.
• Stanwood Municipal Code, ch. 17.73 - Traditional Neighborhood Overlay, and ch. 17.95, Article II. Traditional Neighborhoods Alternative Code (sec. 17.95.010 – 17.95.070).
• Lacey Municipal Code, ch. 16.59 - Village Center Zone.   

Traditional Neighborhood Development - Other States

• Traditional Neighborhood District Criteria Manual, City of Austin, TX - Includes comprehensive guidelines related to street patterns, mixed use development, and integration of transit.
• Austin City Code, Ch. 25-3 - Traditional Neighborhood District.
• Second Street District, Austin, TX, Terrain.org Website.
• Article X, Traditional Neighborhood Development (T.N.D.) District Regulations, Palm Beach County (FL) Unified Development Code, 2003.  
• Syracuse, NY Syracuse Lakefront Master Plan.
• Syracuse Zoning Code, Part B, Sec. IX – Lakefront Zoning Districts, and Part C, sec. IX - Lakefront Zoning District Procedures.
• Fort Myers, FL Downtown Redevelopment Plan, Prepared by Andres Duany (Large file to download).  
• Columbus, Ohio City Codes, Article II, Ch. 3320, and Traditional Neighborhood Development Review Packet, Columbus, OH. 
• Miami-Dade (FL) County Part III: Code of Ordinances, Ch. 33 Art. XXXIII(H) - Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) District.
• Belmont (NC) Land Development Code, Ch. 5 sec, 5.10 - Traditional Neighborhood Development (TN-D).
• A Model Ordinance for a Traditional Neighborhood Development, Prepared by Brian W. Ohm, James A. LaGro, Jr., and Chuck Strawser, University of Wisconsin Extension, April 2001.
• Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Bylaws – Model codes for master plan approach and incremental (overlay) approach, and Traditional Neighborhood Development (Overview) - Smart Growth/Smart Energy Toolkit, Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
• Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Model Ordinance and Design, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Quality Growth Toolkit.
• TND Neighborhoods - links to TND projects from around the country and beyond, The Town Paper.
• Resources for Traditional Neighborhood Development Ordinances, Brian W. Ohm, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Posted on Arizona State University College of Design website.)

Traditional Neighborhood Development and Grid Street Networks

• Lesson 6: Neo-Traditional Neighborhood Design from FHWA Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, July 2006. (Scroll to sec. 6.3).
• Traditional Neighborhood Development: Why TND Traffic Systems Work, by Walter Kulash, Florida Sustainable Communities Center.
• Ch. 19 Traditional Neighborhood Development, Manual of Uniform Minimum Standards for Design, Construction and Maintenance for Streets and Highways, Florida Department of Transportation, Draft May – 2009.
• Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Guidelines, Division of Highways, North Carolina Department of Transportation, August 2000.  
• "Neotraditional Neighborhood Design and Its Implications for Traffic Engineering," by Eva Lerner-Lam, Stephen T. Celniker, Gary W. Halbert, Chester Chellman, and Sherry Ryan, ITE Journal, January 1992. (See especially sections related to street layout.)
• "Traffic Engineering for Neo-Traditional Neighborhoods: A Synthesis Report," Draft, prepared by ITE Technical Committee, 1992.
• Circular Number E-C019 - Urban Street Symposium, Dallas, Texas, June 28-30, 1999 from Transportation Research Board. (See J-I, J-2, J-3 & J-4 related to neo-traditional street design.)
• The Transportation Effects of Neo-Traditional Development, Michael Aaron Berman, Journal of Planning Literature, Vol. 10, No. 4, 347-363, 1996.
• Traditional Neighborhood Development -- street design guidelines," Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) June 1999 – Available via MRSC Library Loan
• Traffic Engineering for Neo- Traditional Neighborhoods, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), 1995 – Available via MRSC Library Loan

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