Rethinking Corridors
Zoning Practice — February 2011
By David Dixon
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Over the last half-century, arterial corridors that connected 19th-century villages and served as the Main Streets of early 20th-century downtowns and neighborhoods evolved into the primary engines — and icons — of sprawl. Zoning and other regulatory tools institutionalized a continuous pattern of low-density, auto-oriented strip development that reflected both the realities of American real estate markets and the planning goals of many American communities from the end of World War II until recently.
Over the past decade, rapid demographic changes and related shifts in real estate economics and community values set the stage for transforming many arterial corridors into "strings of pearls" — pedestrian-oriented, mixed use, higher density, walkable redevelopment connected by stretches of auto-oriented strip development. These nodes offer significant quality-of-life and economic opportunity benefits for host communities — reviving urban main streets and suburban town centers.
This issue of Zoning Practice discusses how corridor planning initiatives can lead to significant benefits for host communities. It highlights several examples of successful arterial corridor planning efforts that leveraged new zoning to promote transformation.
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David Dixon