The COMMUNITY CONCERNS pages are a cross index of the topics covered in ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN.

After many years of experience working in all types of communities, we’ve figured out that there are common areas of concern when it comes to building places in which people want to live, work, play, pray, and learn. We’ve also learned that these areas of concern are affected by multiple elements of urban design.

For example, if a community is particularly concerned with improving its level of commerce, several elements of urban design should be addressed. It’s not enough to establish a low-interest, small business loan program to invigorate a neighborhood business district if the street and sidewalks of that neighborhood’s main street aren’t conducive to hosting a desirable place in which visitors want to shop and dine. Multiple elements of urban design can have a positive or negative affect on that neighborhood’s level of commerce. In addition to the design of the street corridor itself (including the sidewalks and collectors strips), creating special gathering places and creating buildings that are in sync with the desired level of intensity for the place have enormous impacts on the economic viability of local businesses.

We’ve tried to cover the essential concerns that most communities have. But if we’ve missed something, or if you community is has a unique concern you would like to tell us about, please email us.