Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Rethinking Zoning for People: Utilizing the Concept of the Village

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
One Hundred Years of Zoning and the Future of Cities

Abstract

In this chapter, we propose it is time to re-think and re-imagine how we approach zoning. This is especially true for suburban developments. Today, especially in the United States, zoning in suburban areas is being used to segregate and separate the component parts of our communities into distinct zones which are spread out geographically and in most cases require the daily use of an automobile. The negative consequences of this form of development for health, community and the environment are discussed. Using a study of neighborhoods in Dublin, Ireland and its suburbs we examine how professionals and the public view the places they live and connect these perspectives to the manner in which zoning has changed over the course of the twentieth century. Insights from these professionals and the public lead us to propose that planners, engineers and developers be expected to think more about the kinds of walkable village neighborhoods that people seem to be drawn to almost instinctively. We urge that zoning laws be re-purposed to enable the building of communities that people prefer to live in.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baxandall, R. F., & Ewen, E. (2000). Picture windows: How the suburbs happened. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernick, M., & Cervero, R. (1997). Transit villages in the 21st century. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, L. J., Dixon, D., & Gillham, O. (2009). Urban design for an urban century: Placemaking for people. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brownson, R. C., Hoehner, C. M., Day, K., Forsyth, A., & Sallis, J. F. (2009). Measuring the built environment for physical activity: State of the science. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 36(4 Suppl), 99–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2009.01.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). CDC Vital signs motor vehicle crash deaths. Vital signs. Retrieved June 8, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/motor-vehicle-safety/

  • Cervero, R. (1998). The transit metropolis: A global inquiry. Washington, DC: Island press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cervero, R. (2004). Transit-oriented development in the United States: Experiences, challenges, and prospects (Vol. 102). Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Nazelle, A., Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J., Antó, J. M., Brauer, M., Briggs, D., Braun-Fahrlander, C., & Hoek, G. (2011). Improving health through policies that promote active travel: A review of evidence to support integrated health impact assessment. Environment International, 37(4), 766–777.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Department for Transport Tourism and Sport (DTTAS), & Department for Environment Community and Local Government (DECLG). (2013). Design manual for urban roads and streets. Dublin, Ireland: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department for Transport UK. (2007). Manual for streets. London: Thomas Telford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duany, A., Plater-Zyberk, E., & Speck, J. (2000). Suburban nation. New York: North Point Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duany, A., & Talen, E. (2002). Transect planning. Journal of the American Planning Association, 68(3), 245–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunham-Jones, E., & Williamson, J. (2008). Retrofitting suburbia: Urban design solutions for redesigning suburbs. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, P., & Tsouros, A. (2006). Promoting physical activity and active living in urban environments. The role of local governments. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO (World Health Organization) Regional Office for Europe. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/98424/E89498.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R., Bartholomew, K., Burden, D., Zimmerman, S., & Brown, L. (2013). Pedestrian & transit—Oriented design (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R., & Cervero, R. (2010). Travel and the built environment: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Planning Association, 76(3), 265–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R., Handy, S. L., Brownson, R. C., Clemente, O., & Winston, E. (2006). Identifying and measuring urban design qualities related to walkability. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 3(Suppl 1), S223–S239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzsimons D’Arcy, L. (2013). A multidisciplinary examination of walkability: Its concept, assessment and applicability. Dublin: Dublin City University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Florida, R. (2005). Cities and the creative class. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Florida, R. (2010). Who's your City?: How the creative economy is making where to live the most important decision of your life. Toronto: Vintage Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, L. D., & Engelke, P. O. (2001). The built environment and human activity patterns: Exploring the impacts of urban form on public health. Journal of Planning Literature, 16(2), 202–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/08854120122093339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, L. D., Sallis, J. F., Conway, T. L., Chapman, J. E., Saelens, B. E., & Bachman, W. (2006). Many pathways from land use to health: Associations between neighborhood walkability and active transportation, body mass index, and air quality. Journal of the American Planning Association, 72(1), 75–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, L. D., Kerr, J., Sallis, J. F., Miles, R., & Chapman, J. (2008). A hierarchy of Sociodemographic and environmental correlates of walking and obesity. Preventive Medicine, 47(2), 172–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.04.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frumkin, H., Frank, L. D., & Jackson, R. J. (2004). Urban sprawl and public health (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, A. (2017). New homes with old fashioned values in D24. The Irish Times. Retrieved from http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/new-to-market/new-homes-with-old-fashioned-values-in-d24-from-295-000-1.3035373.

  • Gehl, J. (2010). Cities for people (1st ed.). London: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giles-Corti, B., Vernez-Moudon, A., Reis, R., Turrell, G., Dannenberg, A. L., Badland, H., et al. (2016). City planning and population health: A global challenge. The Lancet, 388(10062), 2912–2924. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30066-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaeser, E. L., & Kahn, M. E. (2010). The greenness of cities: Carbon dioxide emissions and urban development. Journal of Urban Economics, 67(3), 404–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaeser, E. (2011). Triumph of the City: How our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, A., Leyden, K. M., & Scotto, T. J. (2012). Untangling what makes cities Liveable: Happiness in five cities. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Urban Design and Planning, 165(3), 127–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haas, T. (2008). New urbanism and beyond: Designing cities for the future. New York: Rizzoli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogan, M. J., Leyden, K. M., Conway, R., Goldberg, A., Walsh, D., & McKenna-Plumley, P. E. (2016). Happiness and health across the lifespan in five major cities: The impact of place and government performance. Social Science & Medicine, 162, 168–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, R. J., Dannenberg, A. L., & Frumkin, H. (2013). Health and the built environment: 10 years after. American Journal of Public Health, 103(9), 1542–1544. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, M. E. (2007). Green cities: Urban growth and the environment. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kay, J. H. (1997). Asphalt nation: How the automobile took over America, and how we can take it back. New York: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, A. C., Stokols, D., Talen, E., Brassington, G. S., & Killingsworth, R. (2002). Theoretical approaches to the promotion of physical activity forging a Transdisciplinary paradigm. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 23(2S), 15–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, I. M., Shiroma, E. J., Lobelo, F., Puska, P., Blair, S. N., & Katzmarzyk, P. T. (2012). Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: An analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet, 380(9838), 219–229. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9.

  • Leinberger, C. B. (2012, May 27). Now coveted: A walkable, convenient place. New York Times sunday review the opinion pages. Retrieved from http://ctmainstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/1a-Opinion-Walkable-Place.pdf

  • Leyden, K. M. (2003). Social capital and the built environment: The importance of Walkable neighborhoods. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1546–1551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leyden, K. M., Goldberg, A., & Michelbach, P. (2011). Understanding the pursuit of happiness in ten major cities. Urban Affairs Review, 47(6), 861–888.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine, J. (2010). Zoned out: Regulation, markets, and choices in transportation and metropolitan land use. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovasi, G. S., Neckerman, K. M., Quinn, J. W., Weiss, C. C., & Rundle, A. (2009). Effect of individual or neighborhood disadvantage on the association between neighborhood walkability and body mass index. American Journal of Public Health, 99(2), 279–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, K. (1965). Image of the City (2nd ed.). London: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKenzie, E. (1994). Privatopia: Homeowner associations and the rise of residential private government. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery, C. (2013). Happy city: transforming our lives through urban design. Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, J. N., & Hardman, A. E. (1997). Walking to health. Sports Medicine, 23(5), 306–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer, D., & Cloutier, S. (2016). Planning for happy neighborhoods. Journal of the American Planning Association, 82(3), 267–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saelens, B. E., Sallis, J. F., Black, J. B., & Chen, D. (2003). Neighborhood-based differences in physical activity: An environment scale evaluation. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1552–1558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis, J. F., Bauman, A., & Pratt, M. (1998). Environmental and policy interventions to promote physical activity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 15(4), 379–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis, J. F., Saelens, B. E., Frank, L. D., Conway, T. L., Slymen, D. J., Cain, K. L., et al. (2009). Neighborhood built environment and income: Examining multiple health outcomes. Social Science & Medicine, 68(7), 1285–1293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwieterman, J. P., & Caspall, D. M. (2006). The politics of place: A history of zoning in Chicago. Chicago, IL: Lake Claremont Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Southworth, M., & Ben-Joseph, E. (1995). Street standards and the shaping of suburbia. Journal of the American Planning Association, 61(1), 65–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (1996). Physical activity and health: A report of the surgeon general. Atlanta, GA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/pdf/sgrfull.pdf .

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Berg, A. E., Maas, J., Verheij, R. A., & Groenewegen, P. P. (2010). Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health. Social Science and Medicine, 70(8), 1203–1210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, D. R. (2007). Designing community: Charrettes, master plans and form-based codes. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warburton, D. E. R., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. D. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: The evidence. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174(6), 801–809.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2017). World Health Organization Global Health Observatory data, road traffic deaths. Retrieved June 8, 2017, from http://www.who.int/gho/road_safety/mortality/en/

  • WHO Regional Office for Europe. (2006). Physical activity and health in Europe: Evidence for action. Copenhagen: Author. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/87545/E89490.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wickham, J. (2006). Gridlock: Dublin’s transport crisis and the future of the City (1st ed.). Dublin: New Island.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Political Science & Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

    Kevin M. Leyden Ph.D. (Professor of Political Science & Public Policy)

  2. School of Civil and Structural Engineering, College of Engineering and Built Environment, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland

    Lorraine Fitzsimons D’Arcy Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Kevin M. Leyden Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lorraine Fitzsimons D’Arcy Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin M. Leyden Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Radzyner Law School, Gazit-Globe Real Estate Institute, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Amnon Lehavi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Leyden, K.M., Fitzsimons D’Arcy, L. (2018). Rethinking Zoning for People: Utilizing the Concept of the Village. In: Lehavi, A. (eds) One Hundred Years of Zoning and the Future of Cities . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66869-7_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation