A NEW URBANIST PROJECT
The actualization of our local ordinances affects every aspect of our daily lives. VICINIA believes that our built environment affects not only the visuals we see but the choices we make and the patterns we live. This direct correlation in our individual “life essentials” is worthy of serious consideration.
Humans have been conditioned over the last fifty years to lives revolving around the automobile. While this has afforded great convenience, it has also managed to take the “humanness” out of our communities and, arguably, civility out of our lives.
A Transit Oriented Development (TOD), is a compact, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use community centered around high-quality transit systems. This vibrant, livable, sustainable community makes it possible to live a lower-stress life without dependence on a car for mobility and survival.
The best examples of developments that offer a sense of security, human relevance and comfort to the residents are found in older towns. The way these towns developed more than one hundred years ago reflected what made sense – what best accommodated the daily life of the individual. These towns were not concerned with the demands of the automobile but with the simple needs of the person.
Public gathering places, front porches, balconies, and tree-lined sidewalks emerged not from zoning ordinances but as obvious needs to be fulfilled. There were no case studies or paradigms to guide our fore-fathers in the planning of their community, they used common sense. They sought to find direct solutions to address the daily life functions of the people and relief from the climatic conditions of the region. They then constructed these structures in such a fashion to remain timelessly pleasing to the eye.