Master-planned in exurbia: Examining the drivers and impacts of master-planned communities at the urban fringe

Smart growth strategies of infill and compact growth in existing suburban cities will most likely not be sufficient to absorb a new US household growth in the future. To meet housing demands and preferences, master-planned communities will continue to be built in outlying exurban areas. However, little is known about the impacts these communities may have on the surrounding physical, built and social environment in the exurban landscape. In this paper, we provide a review of the literature of what is known about the drivers behind the development of master-planned communities and the physical, built and social impacts of these developments on the surrounding exurban landscape. We then provide a case study of an exurban area outside of Seattle, Washington containing a large master-planned community. Through focus group interviews, we explore residential motivations to move to the area, and the benefits and challenges of living in an exurban landscape with a newly built master-planned community. Using qualitative data analyses, we find that residents are drawn to this exurban area for the abundance of natural amenities and outdoor recreation opportunities. However, the new master-planned community development presents many benefits and challenges for those living in the area; particularly the residential perceptions of impacts that the development has had on the surrounding natural and built environment. These real and perceived impacts of the master-planned community development has compounded and magnified the impacts to the social environment throughout the entire exurban community. Implications for planners and suggestions for future research are given.Keywords: Land use change, Community design, Natural amenities, Housing preference, Community cohesion, Population growt

The role of targets and standards in delivering urban greenspace for people and wildlife

THE ROLE OF TARGETS AND STANDARDS IN DELIVERING URBAN GREENSPACE FOR PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE Greenspace and blue spaces, parks and natural areas (wildspaces) are the places where those who live and work in urban areas have the contact with nature that is important for their mental and physical health and well-being and their quality of life (Faculty of Public Health 2010; Lee and Maheswaran 2011; Tzoulas and Greening 2011; van den Berg et al. 2015; Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology 2016; World Health Organization (WHO) 2016). People experience biodiversity where they live and work. Opportunities for people to come into contact with nature in their everyday lives should be a fundamental part of urban planning and design. Case study 4: Regulating greenspaces: initiatives, documents and standards in Belgrade, Serbia The green features of the city of Belgrade have always represented an important element of its identity. The major development strategies and documents have followed the contemporary paradigms of urban planning and design by thoroughly elaborating the issues of distribution, typology, and quality of greenspaces.Eds. Ian Douglas, P M L Anderson, David Goode, Michael C. Houck, David Maddox, Harini Nagendra, Tan Puay Yo