Attending Ohio University has its advantages for an inspiring urban planner, namely being in a place like Athens. Athens is a small city, listed by the 2000 Census as having around 20,000. This number is probably an underestimate as students are notorious for not getting counted in the census and Ohio University has 20,437 of them on the Athens campus. I would put Athens' population at closer to 30,000, but the population is not as important as its other key attributes.
Athens is an old town by Midwest standards, established in 1797; with Ohio University being established in 1804. The area known to locals and students as "uptown" is the oldest part of the city and exemplifies the traditional town setting. Some planners and researchers, myself included, view New Urbanism as a promising movement in urban design. For those non-planner readers out there, New Urbanism seeks to learn from older cities, such as Athens, to help mold traditional looking settlement patterns that promote walkability and mixed land use. The stores, bars, and restaurants on Court St. in Athens that have housing above them fit into this scheme perfectly, so do the bike lanes located in the uptown area. The ultimate goal is to be more eco-friendly, promote historic preservation, and reign in suburban sprawl to create a more livable community.
I had been thinking about something to talk about on my blog this week and realized this is something I wanted to share. I know that since this blog is an assignment for my English class that many of my readers (probably all) are Ohio University students and are not necessarily familiar with planning principles. I won't go into more detail about New Urbanism or traditional neighborhood design here because I could write a book explaining it (many people have actually), but I encourage you all to Google it or do a Wikipedia search on it. Many people who have the advantage of living in Athens don't realize what an architectural and historic jewel it really is. Looking around this town you can find many of the principles planners seek to employ in their quest for the better city. Now we just need a better transit system, but that is better left for another post! Photo Source: www.ohio.edu
Athens is an old town by Midwest standards, established in 1797; with Ohio University being established in 1804. The area known to locals and students as "uptown" is the oldest part of the city and exemplifies the traditional town setting. Some planners and researchers, myself included, view New Urbanism as a promising movement in urban design. For those non-planner readers out there, New Urbanism seeks to learn from older cities, such as Athens, to help mold traditional looking settlement patterns that promote walkability and mixed land use. The stores, bars, and restaurants on Court St. in Athens that have housing above them fit into this scheme perfectly, so do the bike lanes located in the uptown area. The ultimate goal is to be more eco-friendly, promote historic preservation, and reign in suburban sprawl to create a more livable community.
I had been thinking about something to talk about on my blog this week and realized this is something I wanted to share. I know that since this blog is an assignment for my English class that many of my readers (probably all) are Ohio University students and are not necessarily familiar with planning principles. I won't go into more detail about New Urbanism or traditional neighborhood design here because I could write a book explaining it (many people have actually), but I encourage you all to Google it or do a Wikipedia search on it. Many people who have the advantage of living in Athens don't realize what an architectural and historic jewel it really is. Looking around this town you can find many of the principles planners seek to employ in their quest for the better city. Now we just need a better transit system, but that is better left for another post! Photo Source: www.ohio.edu
I always have loved Athens for the historic feel but I never really thought about how well laid out it was. It really is genius how much housing they have on Court Street above businesses. With the large student population, Athens needs as much housing as it can get, and it's great that they took that into consideration on Court Street.
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