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Abstract
This paper includes a detailed comparison of the design features and urban form characteristics of 10 urban fringe neighbourhoods in the Toronto (Canada) region, and examines the extent to which a new suburban development pattern has been created under the influence of the New Urbanism movement. Results suggest that although considerable variations exist in implementations of New Urbanist design, a new suburban development pattern has been created. This pattern is characterized by increased net density, improved internal street-connectivity, and walkable distances to parks, schools and transit stops. Through a close examination of the varied design outcomes, this paper highlights the trade-offs inherent in implementing New Urbanist design.
Acknowledgement
The author wishes to thank Prof Andre Sorensen and Prof Paul Hess for their advice and their great contributions to the preparation of a parcel-level GIS dataset with land-use information for the Toronto region.
Notes
1. The formula of Shannon diversity index is as follows:
where H = the Shannon diversity index S = the number of land-use types (or housing types) Pi = the share of land area (or housing units) in land-use (or housing unit) type i of total land area (or total housing units) of all the types listed above. The result ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 indicating all land use (or housing unit) in a neighbourhood is a single type; and 1 indicating that a neighbourhood is equally divided by all the land-use types (or housing unit types) listed above.