Sometimes people need good pictures to help them make good choices. Urban Advantage of Berkeley, Calif., helps elected leaders, planners and local citizens envision how smart growth principles could transform their communities for the better. The images provided to NRDC for use in this web feature were part of that visioning process.

The Sites

Urban Advantage created visions for smart growth in locations that were chosen as part of planning efforts commissioned by various government and nonprofit groups. The sites all had potential to serve as centers of social, economic and cultural commerce, as well as destinations for walking, bicycling, transit and short auto trips.

The Process

Starting with pictures of existing conditions, the images of smart growth development were created by Steve Price of Urban Advantage. Adobe Photoshop was used to add photos of architecture, trees, people, transit and more to the existing landscape.

The Results

In no case did the images result in development exactly as illustrated -- nor were they intended to. Their purpose was to show a better way to develop our cities and towns and to demonstrate the standards for achieving that. Although the images don’t predict exact development results, they have successfully helped local governments adopt numerous smart growth plans and rules for development.

The Standards

The set of standards that guided the creation of these images include:

• Blocks and subdivisions: Communities should have an interconnected street network that allows people to choose multiple routes between locations, with small blocks and frequent intersections to make communities "walkable."
• Public space: Public spaces should be designed for social interaction and multiple forms of transportation, with visually attractive streets that accommodate more than just cars and separate pedestrians from fast-moving traffic.
• Building forms: Private buildings should shape and enliven public spaces with entrances, windows and facades that face the street and aren’t separated from public space and neighboring structures by parking lots.

Learn More

See more work by Steve Price and Urban Advantage.