In urban planning and design, an urban village is an urban development typically characterized by medium-density housing, mixed use zoning, good public transit and an emphasis on pedestrianization and public space.[1] Contemporary urban village ideas are closely related to New Urbanism and smart growth ideas initiated in the United States.[2]
Urban villages are seen to provide an alternative to recent patterns of urban development in many cities, especially decentralization and urban sprawl. They are generally purported to:
- Reduce car reliance and promote cycling, walking and transit use
- Provide a high level of self-containment (people working, recreating and living in the same area)
- Help facilitate strong community institutions and interaction
The concept of urban villages was formally born in Britain in the late 1980s with the establishment of the Urban Villages Group (UVG).[3] Following pressure from the UVG, the concept was prioritized in British national planning policy between 1997 and 1999.[4] Urban villages also come in the form of suburbs of metropolitan areas that are politically designated as villages.
- ^ Homs, Clement. "Localism and the city: the example of "urban villages"". www.inclusivedemocracy.org. The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 733. ISBN 978-0415862875.
- ^ Tony Aldous (1992) Urban villages : a concept for creating mixed-use urban developments on a sustainable scale, London: Urban Villages Group, pp. 11-13
- ^ Department of the Environment (DOE) (1997) PPG1: General Policies and Proposals, London: DOE