Found an interesting article in the January 4, 2009 Boston Globe. The article "How The City Hurts Your Brain" raises a number of questions as to where the balance should lie in our planning efforts. I do not want to say it goes so far as to challenge the concepts of New Urbanism, but it clearly says we need to consider far more than simply density as we discuss the future of Planning.
Much of current planning theory, New Urbanism, Smart Growth, Form Based Zoning, all focus on the built environment. Density and the mixture of built uses are dominant. The article calls this into question. We need to remember the importance of the natural environment in planning for the built environment. Yards and trees are as important as sidewalks and parking spaces. We need to remember that people need the ability to unwind and relax. The urban environment offers few opportunities, and, based upon the studies cited, actually runs us down.
Balance, its so important. We have to remember that too rural leaves us with open areas of little value as it is all sliced up for individual yards with their stockade or picket fences. But too urban loses the the trees and all the benefits of nature.
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