KEEPING THE NEWS LOCAL.... AND THE COMMUNITY CONNECTED.
VOLUME 2 EDITION 4
APRIL 2021
LIVE
The Importance of the Environment in Traditional Neighborhood Developments
By Raven Halle
As Earth Day approaches and conversations surrounding climate and environment become even more prevPAGE 2 alent, it’s increasingly important to talk about and understand the ways in which the place we call home influences the environment—and also how the environment influences our home. Like we’ve examined in prior articles, traditional neighborhood developments (TNDs) focus on using, rather than reducing, their natural environPAGE 3 ments. In short, traditional neighborhood developments conserve energy through efficient land use while also lessening the dependence on automobiles, which, in turn, promotes petoP I N E C R E S T A C A D E M Y & A V A L O N P A R K A R E E X Cdestrian I T E D T O A N N O movement UNCE wards parks, lakes, and the other green spaces typical of TNDs.
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Where conventional neighborhood developments place precedence SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | MOVIE STARTS AT S U N D O W N F O L L O W I N G T H E F A M I L Y Con ARNIV AL the automobile, traIN THE CARLINE LOOP FIELD | FREE ADMISSION neighborhood 2 5 5 0 H U F F S T E T L E R D R , T A V A R E S , F Lditional 32778 developments center around foot and bicycle traffic. And although TNDs focus primarily on non-automobile modes of transportation, the consideration of the environment in relation to the automobile is made clear: trees Sthings E E W H A T like I S N E street XT! serve to reduce visual PAGE 7 Friday, May 21st: pollution, and large, often circular patches AVALONPARKTAVARES.COM | 352-204-1020 of grass help to both COMMUNITY mitigate and direct the UPDATES PAGE 4
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public transportation.
While many traditional neighborhoods may not have their own forms of public transportation we would consider typical, like buses or subways, it is often the case that we can consider carpooling to be its own sort of public transport. The increase of social interaction as a result of green spaces like parks lead to a greater sense of connection, which yards. flow of traffic. These successes in walkability Since we have previous- can then grow organly gone into detail about ically into a system of are made possible by carpooling—whether the aforementioned working with the land, it be to work, school, a things like pedestrian not against it. place of worship, or the traffic, street trees, and green spaces, it’s neces- grocery store. Even in language is sary to now view things the importance of the Further, and on a larger from a wider lens, earth to traditional scale, traditional neighespecially in relation neighborhoods made borhoods are rendered to Earth Day and the evident. For example, environmentally susenvironmental impact we use the term “built tainable through things environment” to refer to of traditional neighborhood developments that are intentional, like the man-made features parks and lakes, and on their surrounding of TNDs. Combining things that, like nature, “built,” which suggests natural environments. something not naturally Some base principles of happen organically, like community-grown TNDs, including walkmade, with “environment,” which implies ability, accessibility, and public transportation. Street trees combat visuan organic component, affordability, further al pollution and serve does much to show that contribute to the earlias a method of forest er conversation about TNDs, at their linguisconservation; walkabiltic core, are concerned placing more emphaity reduces greenhouse sis on bicycle and foot with making the best emissions; green spaces use of organic elements, traffic than on vehicuadd fresh, breathable lar traffic. This notion whether they occur alone is huge in terms of air; and mixed-use naturally like lakes or buildings cut down sustainability: because are planted, like street trees. These aspects aim TNDs are developed in on construction. All of a way that values walk- these factors exemplify to create synergies not ability and accessibility, the notion of naturalonly between built and ly-occurring sustainabilit is inherent to most natural environments, ity. And it’s because of TNDs that automobut also between resithese things that TNDs dents of a community bile-produced carbon are sustainable, and by inviting more social emissions are much through TNDs, we find interaction and lessenlower, as non-motor ing the isolating factors modes of transportation connections that ultimately sustain us all. found in conventional are encouraged more neighborhoods, such than driving. This, then, as fenced-in parks and ties in with the idea of
