Infill:

The development of vacant land that was bypassed by earlier waves of development and is now largely surrounded by developed land. The antithesis of this is “leap frog” development. In this type, large pieces of land are bypassed, as connection to the urban centers has been labeled as undesirable. The result is inefficient use of infrastructure, and the costs associated with extending roads, sewer, water, power police and fire services (among others) are relegated to the community as a whole.

The advantages of developing infill land are many; including savings for the local community as well as saving passed onto the home buyer for both the short- and long-term.

New Urbanism:

New Urbanism involves new development, urban retrofits and suburban infill. In all cases, New Urbanist neighborhoods are walkable and contain a diverse range of housing and jobs. New Urbanism supports regional planning for open space, appropriate architecture and planning, and the balanced development of jobs and housing. It promotes these strategies that are believed to be the best way to reduce time spent in traffic, to increase the supply of affordable housing and to rein in urban sprawl. Many other issues, such as historic restoration, safe streets and green building are also part of the New Urbanist planning effort. Learn more at: www.cnunewengland.org

TND:

Traditional Neighborhood Development or Design (TND) is a human scale, walkable community with moderate to high residential densities and a mixed-use core. Compared with conventional suburban developments, TNDs increase modal split by encouraging and accommodating alternate transportation modes. TNDs also capture more internal trips, thus reducing vehicle miles traveled. A dense network of narrow streets with reduced curb radii is fundamental to TND design. This network serves to both slow and disperse vehicular traffic and provide a pedestrian friendly atmosphere. Such alternate guidelines are encouraged by NCDOT (for example) when the overall design ensures that non-vehicular travel is to be afforded every practical accommodation that does not adversely affect safety considerations. The overall function, comfort and safety of a multipurpose or “shared” street are more important than its vehicular efficiency alone.

TNDs have a high proportion of interconnected streets, sidewalks and paths. Streets and rights of way are shared between vehicles (moving and parked), bicycles and pedestrians. The dense network of TND streets functions in an interdependent manner, providing continuous routes that enhance non-vehicular travel. Most TND streets are designed to minimize through traffic by the design of the street and the location of land uses. Streets are designed to only be as wide as needed to accommodate the usual vehicular mix for that street while providing adequate access for moving vans, garbage trucks, fire engines and school buses.

INTENT: That the development encourage walking and biking, enhance transit service opportunities, and improve traffic safety through promoting low speed, cautious driving while fully accommodating the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists. That such developments should have the potential to reduce the number of external vehicle trips, and thus vehicle miles traveled, by 15% or more through provision of commercial, recreational and other resident-oriented destinations within a walkable community. That traffic impacts, both on-site and off-site, should be minimized. (Division of Highways North Carolina Department of Transportation Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) GUIDELINES, August 2000)

Smart Growth:

Smart Growth is a perspective, method, and goal for managing the growth of a community. It focuses on the long-term implications of growth and how it may affect the community, instead of viewing growth as an end in itself. The community can vary in size; it may be as small as a city block or a neighborhood, or as large as a city, a metropolitan area, or even a region. Smart Growth promotes cooperation between often diverse groups to arrive at sustainable long-term strategies for managing growth. It is designed to create livable cities, promote economic development, utilize infill sites and protect open spaces, environmentally sensitive areas, and agricultural lands. Recently, Smart Growth has come to be closely associated with New Urbanism and Traditional Neighborhood Design.

Form-based code:

Form-based Codes are an alternative to conventional zoning that enable towns to be designed and implemented with a primary focus on the design and forms of the buildings and public spaces rather than on their use.