Too Good to be True: Mixed-Use Developments’ Attempt to Replicate an Organic Sense of Place Open Access
Heldman, Matthew (Spring 2019)
Abstract
Mixed-use developments (MUDs), like Metro Atlanta’s Atlantic Station and Avalon, are the latest trend in American commercial real estate development. Built in many sizes—some just one city block and others an entire zip code—these projects are frequently branded as walkable, “live-work-play,” “lifestyle center” communities that can have activity on site no matter the time of day. These qualities make MUDs both environmentally sustainable and financially attractive for a developer. When successful, residents, businesspeople, shoppers, diners, and those seeking entertainment form diverse communities that, at times, feel like cities within a city. This honors thesis examines New Urbanist-inspired MUDs and their developers’ attempt to replicate the diversity, vibrancy, and sense of place of traditional, organically-developed neighborhoods, which serve as their inspiration. After integrating the seminal texts of theorists Jane Jacobs and Kevin Lynch to define the qualities of a vibrant neighborhood, this thesis places the New Urbanism movement and its flagship product into the historical context of American Planning as a response to suburban sprawl. Through two case studies of MUDs—brownfield Atlantic Station and greenfield Avalon—within Metropolitan Atlanta, MUDs are benchmarked to the theorists’ characteristics of neighborhood vibrancy and planning movement’s principles. Characteristics, including the execution of development, architectural genuineness, amenities, and demographic and retail-tenant makeup, are examined critically. The thesis also debates how MUDs’ “success” should be measured and defined, and suggests ways to better develop communities with an organic and authentic sense of place.
Table of Contents
Introduction……........................................................................................................................……………............1
Chapter 1: The Vibrant Neighborhood—Theories Shaping New Urbanism………….......................................5
Jane Jacobs and the Four Conditions to Diverse Neighborhoods………….....................................................................5
Kevin Lynch and the Five Elements of the City……………………………........................................................................12
Edward Relph and Sense of Place…………………………………....................................................................................20
Chapter 2: America Deviates from Traditional Urbanism—Setting the landscape for New Urbanism.......21
Levittown as a Microcosm of Suburbia…………………….............................................................................................23
Duany and Plater-Zybrek’s Five Components of Sprawl……………………….............................................................26
New Urbanism Recreates the Vibrant Neighborhood…………………………..................................................................31
Chapter 3: Experiencing New Urbanism—Case Studies of Mixed-Use Developments…................................34
Brownfield Case Study—Atlantic Station…………………………….............................................................................…35
Greenfield Case Study—Avalon…………………………..................................................................................................50
Determining the Ideal Development Approach………..................................................................................................62
Appendix A: Atlantic Station Retail Tennant Information………………………..................................................73
Appendix B: Avalon Retail Tennant Information……………………………...........................................................75
Appendix C: Atlantic Station and Avalon Retail Comparison Charts………....................................................77
Figures……………………………………………………………………..............................................................................…81
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………......................................................................103
About this Honors Thesis
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