Complete Streets policy accommodates bicycles and pedestrians.<\/b><\/p>\n
Eric<\/span>: \u201cComplete Streets represents a substantial paradigm shift for the transportation department and how they approach projects.\u201d<\/p>\n Ken<\/span>: \u201cThe UDO street topologies all qualify as complete streets; all have sidewalks and all have bike lanes except for minor streets where such facilities are not needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Eric<\/span>: \u201cThe palette of street types and street designs are a dramatic improvement in the UDO, with better sidewalks and bike provisions.\u201d<\/p>\n Zoning codes encourage transit oriented (compact, mixed, multi-modal) development.<\/b><\/p>\n Eric<\/span>: \u201cBefore the UDO, our old development code really didn’t allow for this type of development pattern very well.\u00a0 The UDO fixes this problem and promotes compact mixed-use development.\u201d<\/p>\n Ken<\/span>: \u201cThe UDO will make it easier to build denser, walkable development, hence in the future there should be more stuff within walking distance of other stuff, which is good for walking and biking.\u201d<\/p>\n Eric<\/span>: \u201cIn order to create walkable environments, people require destinations.\u00a0 Large swaths of homogeneous zoning uses (i.e., big neighborhoods with exclusively single-family development patterns) don’t provide good opportunities for reducing distances that people have to travel, no matter how many sidewalks or bike lanes we build\u201d.<\/p>\n Less parking requirements reduce building costs and help alleviate sprawl.<\/b><\/p>\n Ken<\/span>: \u201cThe UDO reduces parking requirements for most types of developments, and for all developments building with a pedestrian-friendly form in more urban locations. This reduces the cost of development (parking spaces cost $3,000 \u2013 5,000 at grade, $16,000 \u2013 20,000 in structures).\u201d<\/p>\n Ken<\/span>: \u201cThe UDO still requires off street parking for most uses, but reduces the amount compared with the current code. Small apartment buildings (16 units or fewer) and ground floor retail are exempt from parking in urban locations. At this point, most developers are exceeding the city\u2019s minimums.\u201d<\/p>\n Car sharing provides an alternative to owning a car.<\/b><\/p>\n Eric: \u201cCar sharing (and bike sharing for that matter) are both terrific options.\u00a0 Sometimes you just need a car for certain functions (e.g., big flatscreen TV’s don’t transport well on bike or bus), and a service like\u00a0Zipcar<\/a>\u00a0fills that need as an economical\u00a0shared resource.<\/p>\n Ken<\/span>: \u201cMunicipal governments maintain vehicular fleets, a portion of which could be replaced by a contract with a car sharing service. The City of Philadelphia did this to help jumpstart Philly Car Share. And with the\u00a0city\u2019s new partnership with Zipcar<\/a>, Raleigh is starting down the same path.”<\/p>\n Related posts:<\/p>\n Carsharing is back in downtown Raleigh. Sign up here ot be a Zipster!<\/a><\/p>\n The No-Longer Hidden Cost of Parking in Downtown Raleigh<\/a><\/p>\n Coming Soon\u201d New Rules for Development in Raleigh<\/a><\/p>\n![\"images\"](\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighdla\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/images.jpeg\")
<\/a>I\u2019m happy to live in a city where planners envision a pedestrian friendly urban environment.\u00a0 This enhances a healthy lifestyle where neighbors greet each other on the streets and buy local goods at nearby stores.\u00a0 It represents a simplicity that makes sense for family finances, reducing each person\u2019s carbon footprint, and building community.\u00a0 We are definitely moving in the right direction in Raleigh, thanks to active residents, a proactive city council and planners like Eric and Ken.<\/p>\n