Six Assumptions about the New Hampshire Development Process
The following forces have been identified as having significant impact on development in municipalities and neighborhoods.
Municipalities:1. Population growth and land use development will continue. 2. Most communities are categorized as "Rural, Village," or "Town", and so still have the option to decide how to grow. 3. The "municipal’ scale is the key point for land use decisions. 4. Market forces are the main drivers shaping land use, zoning and transportation — resulting in single use, automobile dependent, low density residential and commercial (i.e. "strip") development. 5. Municipal development typically involves the following: a. Frontage and acreage based subdivision
(i.e. "200 foot frontage with a 2 acre minimum)b. Backland residential subdivision on new roads c. Infill of remaining parcels, with single use zones d. Buildout, so all available land is occupied at current zoning e. Redevelopment with higher density
Neighborhoods: 6. Current development patterns are often not supportive of the traditional New England "neighborhood" scale. In contrast, the Maine State Planning Office found that good neighborhoods have nearly universal features: • They are walkable from end to end. • They have a civic core and a mix of neighborhood uses (a square, green, or crossroad with small shops and/or a civic building). • They have an interconnected street network designed so through-traffic doesn’t impact local streets. • They have recognizable boundaries separating one neighborhood from another. • They provide for chance meetings and privacy through street, sidewalk, and lot design and accommodate a public/private cross-section of an individual streets and adjoining house lots. This site is a collaboration of The Jordan Institute and the Audubon Society of New Hampshire - November, 2001
