COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Historic urban places as a model for future growth
Creator:
McMillin, Wallis Wyckoff
Subject:
Thesis (M.F.A.) -- Historic Preservation
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Historic Preservation
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
The proliferation of urban sprawl in America has created a series of segmented, unsustainable, and often hostile environments; yet, it continues to be the prevailing pattern of development in cities throughout America. This thesis will identify the ways in which the historic preservation movement and the field of urban planning can come together to create liveable, sustainable urban places by using historic urban centers as a model for future growth. Urban planning movements, including Smart Growth and New Urbanism, have identified practical approaches to combat urban sprawl, including Traditional Neighborhood Development and form-based codes, but they have not been widely implemented because the codes and ordinances at the local level still mandate low-density, single-use development. The principles and ideals that have contributed to the success of historic urban areas, including density and walkability, offer an alternative to the current pattern of suburban growth. By reforming the codes and ordinances that shape land development to more closely resemble the neighborhoods created in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, urban planners and historic preservationists should come together to create liveable, walkable, and sustainable urban environments in the future. This thesis will show that by implementing the place-making characteristics that have contributed to the success of historic cities, we have the opportunity to curtail urban sprawl and create vibrant, successful neighborhoods in the future. In this way, the historic preservation movement can play a valuable role not only in preserving the past, but also in shaping the future of land development.
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2014-08
Format:
PDF: 78 p. : ill