Re-Imagining Our Roads

The Orlando Sentinel published the following op-ed:


(click to enlarge)


West Colonial Drive near Kirkman--typical arterial road sprawl.


Village at Lake Lilly Apartments, Maitland, Florida


9th of July Avenue--Note the low speed lanes on the side for local traffic. Even the billboards blend into the built environment. "We don't need Buenos Aires' scale, but we do need vertical mixed use buildings..."


Buenos Aires street life--Parked cars buffer pedestrians and cafe patrons


Charles de Gaulle Avenue in Paris. Again, medians separate lanes for slower, local traffic. Boulevards like this one inspired 9th of July Avenue.

Here's an interesting video about multi-way boulevards constructed in San Francisco after the City tore down elevated freeways:


San Francisco: Removal of the Embarcadero Freeway from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

County Commission Unanimously Passes Horizon West Code

ORLANDO, June 2 - The Orange County Commission unanimously approved sweeping revisions to the Horizon West Village Code. The Commissioners adopted the ordinance 7-0 on a motion by Commissioner Scott Boyd, seconded by Commissioner Mildred Fernandez.
Planning and Zoning Commissioner Rick Geller spoke in favor of adoption. Afterwards, Geller said, "This ordinance will hopefully make it possible for Horizon West to look more like Baldwin Park and less like suburban sprawl."
The new Village Code contains new provisions intended to improve the architecture and layout of Horizon West neighborhoods. The Code closed a loophole allowing front-loaded garages with little setback.

The new code does not increase residential density, which was set by Special Area Plans, some adopted in the late 1990s. The new Code reduces Neighborhood Center business districts from four to two acres. Mixed use development, with dwellings over retail is encouraged.