Neighborhoods and towns possess
a certain size and scale. In the traditional pattern,
the neighborhood is the planning unit. The neighborhood
contains all the uses necessary for a sustainable
community. When combined with others, the neighborhood
becomes a town. If the neighborhood sits alone
in the countryside, it is a village. The quarter-mile
radius size is historically proven to work. A
normal human being will walk a quarter mile to
get to a park, bus stop, or location where he
or she can go to fulfill their daily needs.
Sprawl’s basic unit is a
pod. Oftentimes pods are called neighborhoods,
but they are not neighborhoods according to the
definition of a neighborhood. Pods are a single
use such as residential, office, commercial, or
education. The amount of land a developer acquires
determines the size of the pod. The pod lacks
connectivity since it is too large to walk and
there is nothing to walk to. When standing free
in the countryside, a pod is sprawl. When a pod
combines with other pods, it becomes more sprawl.
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