Background The post-World War II era set into motion a series of urban developments that paved the way for our modern-day cities and whose effects, both constructive and detrimental, we continue to experience to this day. One of these developments relates to demographic flows in and out of the inner
Introduction Kevin Lynch was an American urban planner and author whose writings focused on the complex relationships between humans and their cities. Trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lynch’s legacy centers around his empirical research efforts into how humans perceive, navigate, and experience the built form, a term he
The Modernist Movement The 20th century, with its conflicts, innovations, and paradigm shifts, gave rise to significant movements in the realms of philosophy, art, architecture, culture, etc. The architectural practice itself experienced the conception of a wide range of movements – with most attempting to search for meaning, perspective, and
New Urbanism seeks a reversion to pre-war neighborhoods that were designed to be at the human-scale, highly walkable, offer community opportunities for ample engagement, and follow traditional neighborhood development patterns. This article will aim to assess the successes and shortcomings of three realized New Urbanist projects. While these projects vary
What is the concept of Walkability? With the accelerating globalization and modernization of the cities, the idea of walkability was almost considered a utopian concept. The rapid increase in the urban sprawl of emerging cities made motorized transport the most convenient and appreciated mode of transit. The cities became more
Post-War American Suburbs In post-World War II United States, a combination of extreme housing demand, new federal loan programs designed to increase the accessibility of automobiles and homeownership, and the conception of new infrastructure and road-building public works projects sets the stage for one of the most ground-breaking urban planning
