Residential Subdivision Research Articles

Low Impact Development Applied to Teaching Architecture and Urbanism: Study of An Urban Subdivision

Objective: This work presents an experience of applying LID – Low Impact Development – ​​concepts in teaching architecture and urbanism. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework of the work was based on materials related to more sustainable urban drainage techniques and urban design, as well as on works aimed at teaching architecture and urban planning and referring to the profession of Architect and Urban Planner. Method: The methodology used in the article was defined in five stages: definition of the main bibliographic references; choice of area for implementing the study; demarcation of the watershed area and calculation estimates of the impermeable areas and contribution area for surface runoff in the pre-occupation scenario; development of the land subdivision design; calculation of the post-occupancy scenario. Results and Discussion: The work discusses a residential subdivision project, exploring the incorporation of issues related to rainwater management. The results show that the student's mastery of topography and hydrology concepts can help in understanding the morphological characteristics of the location of the proposed project and, above all, the conditions of the watershed. Research Implications: The inclusion of bibliographical references on LID, cartography and hydrology in the syllabuses of Architecture and Urban Planning courses is of fundamental importance, as well as the development of integration methodologies between the subjects of such disciplines. Originality/Value: The study can help future professionals to be more capable of dealing with the demands for technical solutions arising from climate change and the complexity inherent to urban planning.

Investigation of whistle noise impacting a residential subdivision

There have been complaints from residences within a residential subdivision in New Tecumseth, Ontario, of train noise from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) line that passes directly east of the development. The complaints relate to sound levels experienced within the dwellings during train pass-bys, most notably from the use of whistles at the grade level crossing southeast of the site. Sound level measurements were completed to quantify the indoor and outdoor sound levels at several dwellings closest to the rail line. The measured sound levels were compared to predictions made using the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) noise model Sound from Trains Environmental Analysis Method (STEAM). This investigation discusses shortfalls in STEAM, which resulted in the sound levels (from whistle noise) being under predicted at the dwellings. The study also compares the sound levels predicted using the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) horn noise model to those measured on site and predicted using STEAM.

Urban planning responses to the tweaking of approved residential subdivisions by developers in urban Ghana: Case of Kodiekrom, Kumasi

Residential developments in African cities such as Kumasi, should proceed based on approved subdivisions. However, it is now common for land owners and residents to tweak approved layouts by creating additional unapproved plots to sell to the urban poor without the knowledge of planning authorities. There is dearth of research about the experiences, attitudes and perceptions of half plot developers and urban planning responses as well as the implications of this phenomenon. Using in-depth interviews of city officials and homeowners in the south-eastern part of Kumasi, the research sought to address this gap. The findings suggested that the urban poor opt to acquire half plots for housing development mainly because of the informal nature of the rental housing market and high rent charges. The challenges associated with the increasing phenomenon of acquiring and developing on half plots were revealed to be high densities, inability to secure mortgages, conflicts with neighbours and the fear of eviction due to lack of security of tenure as well as lack of legal documentation. Urban planning responses to this phenomenon appear weak and inefficient. The study concludes that the urban poor, considering the benefits of acquiring and developing on half plots might continue with the practice; hence, the need to find pragmatic ways of dealing with the rapid occurrence of the half plot phenomenon.

“Designs for People Who Do Not Readily Intermingle”: Olmsted Jr.’s Use of Race-Restrictive Covenants, ca. 1900–1930

This article illuminates Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.’s use of racially restrictive covenants in his firm’s residential subdivisions. Given his prominence in planning for urban development during the first three decades of the twentieth century, examining Olmsted Jr.’s legacy to the role of planning in perpetuating racial segregation can provide an important missing piece of planning history. This study utilizes a particularly rich collection of restrictive covenants (circa 1900–1930) from the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site to document the scope, variety, location, timing, and language of racial restrictions applied in numerous Olmsted Brothers firm projects across America. In doing so, it considers the relationship between developers, designers, and homeowners in contributing to the segregation of American residential subdivisions still prevalent today. This research demonstrates the commitment of the Olmsted firm to advancing residential segregation in newly created communities throughout the nation during the first half of the twentieth century.

Growing a community’s sense of ‘heritage’: a former mataī forest from SW Ōtautahi Christchurch and its nitrogen status, 860–1430 CE

ABSTRACT As in many places, heritage narratives in Ōtautahi Christchurch remain focused on colonial times. To expand these narratives, we examined three subfossil mataī (Prumnopitys taxifolia) excavated along a 700 m arc during residential subdivision earthworks. Characterisation used δ 15N, radiocarbon, and ring width measurements. Conventional (uncalibrated) radiocarbon ages were 1222 BP (calibrated median 856 CE), 932 BP (1148 CE) and 545 BP (1425 CE). Mean δ 15N values of +1.0 ± 1.1‰ (±SD) were similar to nearby alluvial forest remnants, with no discernible change through the 550-year sampling interval. Ring widths in three trees from the 545 BP site were 0.58 ± 0.12 mm, half that of present day mataī from humid West Coast forests at a similar latitude. The 545 BP site included a burnt stump, and stumps with longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae) larval galleries that occur only in already dead trees. We conclude that the forest was slow growing and mesotrophic but dynamic due to periodic flooding, ending with fire around 1430 CE and inundation of the dead standing forest years or decades later. We are now using traditional and social media and artists to disseminate the narrative of a former mataī forest ‘beneath our feet’ through schools, community groups, and in public facilities.

Business Valuation Cases in Brief

Business Valuation Cases in Brief

Examining Subdivision Layouts against Market Values

The internal properties of land parcels in land subdivision layouts are known to impact land demand. Several layout options exist for the same land, in most cases. Accordingly, the study focuses on indexing the internal parameters of land parcels in the subdivision layout against their market value. An analytical hierarchical process (AHP) was used to develop the Weighted Index (WI). A structured questionnaire was used for data collection from experts in the residential real estate sector in Sri Lanka. The consistency ratio of the feedback was 0.096. The results show that eleven internal parameters mainly affect a land parcel’s market value. The highest significant parameter was ‘number of sides open to nature’ (0.244), and the lowest significant parameter was ‘compactness value of the land parcel’ (0.016). To validate the results, a residential subdivision layout of 55 land parcels was selected from the western province of Sri Lanka, to be analysed for the correlation between the calculated weighted index and actual market value. Results show a significant positive correlation between the calculated weighted evaluation index and per perch (25.29 m2) market value. Re-subdivision by eliminating the drawbacks associated with internal parameters shows a 2% increase in the market value of the proposed layout.

Rust Belt Problems, Sunbelt Solutions: St. Louis, Dallas–Fort Worth, and the Migratory History of the “Metroplex” Concept

Rust Belt Problems, Sunbelt Solutions: St. Louis, Dallas–Fort Worth, and the Migratory History of the “Metroplex” Concept Brian M. Ingrassia (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Texas Metro factual guide for Dallas and Fort Worth, Southwest Metroplex. Lester Strother Texas Metro Records (AR0327), University of North Texas Special Collections. [End Page 304] The Dallas–Fort Worth region is commonly known as “the Metroplex.” Residents and visitors to the United States’ fourth-largest metropolitan area are familiar with the name, and to call another city a metroplex would probably be confusing, if not quite inappropriate. A popular origin story says that in the 1970s, Harve Chapman of Dallas-based Tracy-Locke Advertising fused “metropolitan” and “complex” into the distinctive portmanteau. As of 2021, the website of the North Texas Commission (NTC), an agency established in 1971 to promote the region, claims it “coin[ed] and copyright[ed] the term ‘Metroplex’” in 1972.1 “Metroplex,” however, did not originate in Dallas or in a 1970s ad campaign. Rather, it originated in 1950s community-education projects exploring urban problems, especially in the congested and seemingly declining urban centers of the industrialized Midwest, the area that would eventually become known as the Rust Belt. Scholars initially used [End Page 305] the term to educate people about issues of transportation, race, land use, governance, migration, and pollution, before North Texas then repur-posed the term for its own, up-and-coming metro area. Dallas–Fort Worth employed “metroplex” to market itself as a unique and diffuse metropolitan region with scarce problems, a place where corporations and people escaped urban chaos by embracing a good life characterized by sprawl and leisure. The migration of the metroplex concept—from Midwest to Southwest, as well as from social science to marketing—exposes a significant moment in twentieth-century American history. Historians of the so-called Sunbelt often focus on the role of federal and state governments, religion, and grassroots politics in the quickly growing and influential region stretching from California to the Carolinas, including Texas. They also discuss broader shifts in urban space. John Findlay, for instance, portrays the post–1940 American West as a place of “magic lands”—theme parks, industrial parks, and residential subdivisions—that “seemed less troubled by urban problems and more open to improvements in metropolitan design, social relations, and styles of living.” In complementary studies, Andrew M. Busch and Alex Sayf Cummings show, respectively, how Austin, Texas, and Raleigh–Durham, North Carolina, based their postwar identities on technology, leisure, and the knowledge economy.2 The story of Dallas– Fort Worth’s embrace of the metroplex concept shows not only how a major Sunbelt metro area embodied innovative urban spaces and production, but also how it drew upon existing discourses created by postwar social scientific research to advertise itself as an exceptional place offering Sunbelt solutions to Rust Belt problems. As historian Andrew Highsmith observes, distinctions between Rust Belt and Sunbelt are based more on “narratives of regional development” than upon actually marking either place as “a coherent geographic region.”3 “Metroplex,” which started out [End Page 306] in the 1950s as a term connoting urban problems, assumed utopian connotations in the 1960s. By the early 1970s, it was relatively easy for North Texans to use the term to promote their region’s many purported advantages, such as cheap land, a state-of-the-art airport, low cost of living, and cultural amenities. The intellectual history of “metroplex” casts new light on Texas urban history. Scholars often write about either Dallas or Fort Worth, the twin transportation and commercial hubs of North Texas, rather than the conjoined metro area. Harvey Graff, perhaps controversially, says Dallas is defined in popular culture by the John F. Kennedy assassination, the Dallas Cowboys National Football League (NFL) team, and the television show Dallas. It is a city seemingly with no limits, characterized by the pro-business Dallas Way and the bold emulation of other cities. Yet it is important to note that urban planning, civic boosterism, and conservative politics are also important aspects of Dallas history. The Dallas Citizens’ Council was an important factor driving the city’s growth after 1937...

Taxes Simulation for Maintance of a Drainage Network

Purpose: The objective of this work was to evaluate methods of charging urban drainage fees in order to finance and guarantee the maintenance and operation of a drainage network in a residential subdivision located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Theoretical framework: The intense urban growth associated with the process of soil sealing in urban areas has caused, over the years, the increase in occurrence and intensity of disasters related to floods, in order to reduce the capacity of urban drainage systems to guarantee their optimal functioning. Method/design/approach: The methodology of this study used three different methods to calculate a drainage rate, through a classification of land use and occupation and maintenance values ​​for the drainage network, as: Equivalent Residential Unit (URE), Tucci method (2002) and Cançado, Nascimento and Cabral method (2005). Results and conclusion: The values ​​presented by the methodology entitled Equivalent Residential Unit reached the objectives and the method was selected with the determination of the impact generated by the possible collection of this fee, through data from the 2010 Census. The drainage network per lot were R$262.35 per year, with a total collection of R$24,398.49, compatible with the values ​​found for maintenance of the drainage network in the allotment in the city of Rio de Janeiro-RJ, with an average impact of 0.70% on the income of users of this service. Research implications: The main contribution found by this study was the analysis of the economic and financial viability of the allotment users regarding the collection of a fee for maintenance and operation of the drainage system. Originality/value: This article proposes to present a fee that can finance the maintenance of the existing drainage network, in order to mitigate the effects of flooding on the site and eliminate the financial impact of this service on public coffers.

‘Dynamic zero-COVID’ policy and viral clearance during an omicron wave in Tianjin, China: a city-wide retrospective observational study

ObjectiveTo report how the Chinese mainland battled its first omicron wave, which happened in Tianjin, a metropolis with 14 million residents. We also sought to better understand how clinical features...

The Politics of School Rezoning in the “Cradle of a Nation”: Racial Segregation, Settler Colonialism, and Private Property in Williamsburg, Virginia

Rezoning public school attendance boundaries offers important possibilities for promoting school integration; however, it tends to generate contentious debates, often with white, middle-class parents furiously opposing school reassignments. In this paper, we ask: what logics and discourses do race and class-privileged parents draw on to justify educational inequities, and how are such discourses employed? To explore these questions we analyze a high school rezoning controversy in the Williamsburg-James City County School Division in Eastern Virginia. We conducted a content analysis of public commentary collected from school board meetings, two district-administered surveys, and social media and local news outlets. We bring together Critical Race and Settler Colonial theoretical perspectives to argue that white, middle-class parents and residents mobilized the intertwined logics of private property and whiteness to claim entitlement to the highly ranked Jamestown High School. They did so by combining well-worn colorblind, deficiency frameworks with argumentative logics that leveraged their position as property owners in affluent neighborhoods. First, they linked home ownership in expensive, residential subdivisions to “responsible parenting,” “freedom,” and “choice.” Second, they constructed the social bonds and “community” forged in overwhelmingly white, high-cost, residential sub-divisions as valuable to schools, making residents deserving of assignment to “the best school.” This analysis sheds crucial light on the discursive linkages between color-blind racism and white private property and how white, class-privileged parents mobilize these deeply intertwined logics to defend entitlement to educational resources.

Determination of Residential Type in Subdivision Projects by the Decision Tree Analysis

At present, to determine the residential type in a housing development project requires the experience and expertise of the project developers. This research aims to apply the Decision Tree Analysis to help analyze the residential type that will make the subdivision project achieve a good sales rate. The research process was conducted by collecting data from 179 residential subdivision projects from the market reports of real estate companies in Thailand, and then selected those projects with higher average monthly sales rates than those of all projects. A total of 59 projects were selected, comprising 31 townhouse, 22 detached house and 6 semi-detached house projects. Data for each project were collected. Then, these data sets and factors were analyzed using the Decision Tree Analysis. The results showed that the factors used in determining the residential type were the distance from the bus stations, land appraisal value and distance from parks. The model has an accuracy of 81.82% and is useful for those involved in the real estate development industry because it logically shows the decision- making process. It also demonstrates the potential for applying machine learning technique, as a technological innovation, to create models that aid real estate development decisions related to the customer’s behavior.

Forming Interphase Microgrids in Distribution Systems Using Cooperative Inverters

Interphase-microgrids formed by three islanded single-phase feeders in distribution systems are proposed in this paper. Loss of utility caused by natural and human-made disasters may isolate each residential subdivision from the utility. In this case, the household loads are supplied by distributed generation (DG) units which may not be enough to meet the load demand. This can lead to deviations in voltage and frequency, and the deviations may vary for each phase. The proposed solution is to form an interphase-microgrid by seamlessly interconnecting the islanded single-phase feeders. This interphase-microgrid can effectively balance the load demands and DG generation in distribution systems after losing the utility supply. This paper presents different case studies to demonstrate the viability of forming interphase-microgrids for residential distribution systems.

Diversification of Villa-Type Neighborhoods and Its Impact on Housing Shortages in a Growing Saudi Arabian City: A Case Study of Jeddah

During the urbanization process in Jeddah, evidenced by an annual population growth rate of 9.5%, vacant lots have existed in developed residential areas in spite of the housing shortage. This study aimed at investigating the housing shortage problem and suggesting future solutions based on a predictive formula through four tasks: (1) examining the issues induced by population growth; (2) assessing the extent to which articles in the Procedure Manual for Preparation of Residential Land Subdivision (PMPRLS) foster diversity within villa-type neighborhoods; (3) clarifying the extent of the applicability of these articles and the contribution of existing neighborhood patterns to the housing shortage problem; and (4) providing recommendations for developing each kind of villa-type neighborhood to contribute to resolving the housing shortage. The proposed development methods for villa-type neighborhoods were derived from a correlation analysis using PMPRLS-related indicators in all such neighborhoods (103 study sites) in Jeddah and from a predictive regression analysis. This study suggests that each neighborhood class can contribute to resolving the housing shortage problem. In conclusion, diversifying lot areas, population density, and lot widths in current villa-type neighborhoods would have a positive impact on the housing shortage problem.

Residential subdivisions, what potential for quality production?: Case of the city of Bechar, Algeria Abstract

Residential subdivisions, what potential for quality production?: Case of the city of Bechar, Algeria Abstract

The environmental consequences of residential land tenure in single family neighborhoods

There is a need for better understanding of urban land systems as cities around the world are confronting environmental change. One urban land system that has large implications for biophysical systems, but is especially difficult to manage are private residential neighborhoods. This perspective essay draws together previously disconnected scholarship on housing and land systems to define residential land tenure: the formal and informal rules, rights, and obligations to access, use, and transfer a land parcel by virtue of those assigned to the dwelling it contains. The environmental consequences of residential land tenure are illustrated using the example of compulsory collective governance, a housing tenure arrangement that has become part and parcel with single family detached residential subdivisions across the Anglosphere. Under this regime, land holders forfeit control in exchange for wealth building potential centered on aesthetics. The consequences for the environment are largest where statutory law is weak and pro-environmental action does not align with aesthetics-driven wealth building goals. Broadly, the example illustrates how urban land institutions operating primarily in the social realm can also be understood as de facto land managers in urban contexts.

Development of a Better Solid Waste Management Program for Sustainable Development in a Residential Subdivision

Proper implementation of Solid Waste Management (SWM) is an essential part for the protection of the residents’ health, safety and environmental quality. SWM methods have been adapted by many residential subdivisions into a more practical and effective option to establish sustainability based on the reduce, reuse, and recycle principles. This study aims to contribute a solution to the challenging operation of solid waste management in Modena Mactan subdivision (1) to comprehensively describe the homeowner’s status classification and demographic characteristics, (2) to evaluate volume of waste produced and recycled waste revenue collected, (3) to recognize homeowner’s perception on the current waste management status, and (4) to showcase feasible approaches for sustainable waste management program. The study applied the descriptive research design and was carried out to 93 homeowners who went through the (house-to-house) paper-pencil-questionnaire survey. Results showed that the subdivision produced an average of 33 tons or 16.974 kilograms of solid waste per household per month, and generated an amount of 1,369 PHP or 27.41 USD revenue from the segregated recyclable waste collected from August 1-28, 2021. Moreover, about 87% of the respondents found convenient and sought to change in paperless system. Conclusively, it was revealed that 74% of the respondents found the recycling incentive scheme more inclusive as a feasible approach for waste management strategy to sustain the solid waste management program in Modena Mactan subdivision, Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines.

Forensic Engineering Analysis of Residential Underdrain Design Methodologies, Performance, and Failures

In 2014, the basement of a single-family home in a residential subdivision flooded. The homeowner’s insurance company engaged an engineer to conduct forensic investigations, which ultimately determined that the resultant flooding was caused by blockage of an underdrain system to which the home was connected. This system included a main line in the street and a lateral that connected the underdrain to the home’s foundation drain. Subsequent to this event, other homes in the subdivision reported flooding in the basements and crawlspaces. The author was engaged by the subdivision homeowners association (Common Interest Ownership Community or CIOC). The CIOC’s declarations and recorded documents contained no information regarding the existence of the underdrain system. In addition, there was no clear information about the ownership or maintenance responsibility. The author’s field investigations determined the underdrain was not constructed to the applicable minimum standards, and the developer did not provide adequate flow capacity for the number of homes served by the underdrain. The CIOC entered into litigation against the developer, and the author evaluated issues associated with the design, construction, transition, and maintenance of the underdrain system.

LAND COVER MONITORING OF LAGUNA LAKE WATERSHED USING MODIS NDVI DATA

Abstract. Land use and land cover monitoring is an important component in the management of Laguna Lake watershed due to its impacts on the lake’s water quality. Due to limitations caused by cloud cover, satellite systems with limited revisit capability fail to provide sufficient data to more effectively monitor the land surface. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from MODIS image data were used to generate land cover maps for the years 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017. These were produced by classifying ISODATA classes using annual NDVI profiles, which resulted in land cover classes, namely, agricultural land, built-up, forest, rangeland, water, and wetland. The resulting maps were post-processed using multi-variate alteration detection (MAD), resulting in multi-temporal land cover maps with improved overall accuracies and kappa coefficients that indicate moderate agreement with ground truth data. Spatiotemporal hot spot analysis was also performed using NDVI data from 2001 to 2017 to identify vegetation hot spot areas, where clustering of low NDVI values were observed over the years. Results showed an increasing trend in built-up areas accompanied by decreasing trends in water and wetland areas, indicating impacts caused by land reclamation and expansion of residential subdivisions near the lakeshore. The decrease in total vegetation area from 2001 to 2017 could be attributed to conversion of land to built-up surface. Vegetated areas in identified hot spots decreased from 41% in 2001 to 19% in 2017. This suggests that vegetation cover in these hot spots was converted to non-vegetated surface during the time period studied.

Considerações sobre a experiência urbana dos loteamentos residenciais murados

Private condominiums and other walled residential subdivisions have been highlighted in recent decades as a rewarding product for the real estate sector, especially when directed to the richer social groups. This paper aims to approach these enterprises from the point of view of their impact on the urban morphology of cities and the forms of use and appropriation of spaces that originate from the imposition of the physical barrier of the walls.