Suburban Design

Children riding their bikes, an old couple on a walk, a lawn mower in the distance… Life in the suburbs. When a designer or planner lays out roads and plots of land for a suburban neighborhood, how often do they consider all the activities that are going to take place? When determining how to make a road go up a steep hill, do they imagine kids skateboarding down? When placing a cul-de-sac, do they realize that a dead end is killer for children trying to start a business selling lemonade? Planning these neighborhoods can often draw some of the same lessons from the articles of urban design in the sense that one can’t design for every possible function of the space. People will use the space in the way that suits them, working around any obstacles to make it work. Therefore, design a space with purpose and with a function, but allow flexibility for the space to suit a variety of users.