The C3 initiative will “re-colonize” suburbs by adding localized and micro versions of retail, energy generation, water efficiency, community organization, and economic development. C3 colonies utilize existing/built environments but look inward and generate energy, water conservation, community and revenue as a sustainable micro-society.
The suburbs have failed to provide the same value to society they initially intended. In fact, we are now seeing that suburban sprawl is having adverse affects on the growth of our cities and towns.
They are forcing dependence on cars and high-carbon emission energy sources, decreasing the ability for people to be apart of localized community, and even contributing to the country’s challenge of obesity. This model has to change.
The C3 initiative looks to retrofit existing suburbs, and set the tone for new developments that will generate the key factors for a healthy, sustainable, contributing and fulfilling residential life.
These factors are: Community, Commerce, and Conservation.
As C3 colonies come to maturity, we will see them evolve to have different specialties in the goods and services they offer to neighboring communities. We will see them become a major contributor to the true implementation of a working energy micro-grid. Also, we will see the re-invigoration of sustainable communities in our country where people know one another; walk to where they shop, and contribute to their society and economy.
Love the idea!
the most complex and most making sense, bringing diversity, responsibility, sustainability, micro-economy,… i can imagine myself to live there, work there, have fun and friends there. kevin you have my vote!
This is a thorough, well-crafted solution to many of the current and pressing issues existing today. Great job!!!!
This is the most politically obtainable idea, because it follows the practice of upselling additional features to a bare bones suburbia, in the hopes it will become a thriving community.
The problem I have with it is that you would need a strong community will to enact it. There is certainly money to be made, you will find willing contractors, and willing politicians. But money may be its downfall, as the existing suburbs that suffer the most are not rich.
What we need to do is adopt this formula as a standard for all future tract housing permits, because it is the responsibility of zoning commissions to ensure strong communities, not cheap ones. I am sad that this plan did not incorporate schoolhouses, as that is one of the major daily issues of every family… getting to school and fighting traffic in the morning.
Also, the commercial retail zones appear to be clustered inside the communities, far from visible access of the freeway. That is counterintuitive, and will limit the shops to only the low density population of the suburb. I do not see how any shop will make money. Entertainment should be a subset of retail, which should be accessible from parking, which should be shared with industrial. I would suggest a frontage road parkway near the freeway, where interstingly the governing institutions were placed. Hmmmmm…
This is my vote! You could use many of the other options presented in this contest to infill/retool/raise density. Nice job!
It is a ready to be implemented plan to re-vitalize US suburbia. Just add some efficient public transportation system to re-connect the suburbs. I wonder if we will see a renesaince of the cooperative farming and retail business.
Peace and prosperity !
This comes across as just a list facts from any urban planning book. Layering colors in Illustrator over a Google map image does not really satisfy a whole idea within design. The presented material seems to only be just an early analysis of a site plan rather than a fully defined concept. Such as labeling current green spaces as irrigation rather than defining new irrigation pathways and how that water can be used to sustain the vegetation of an entire community.
Not to detract from your idea in any way, but this is something that’s been bouncing around in my own head for quite some time and makes the most sense that I can see. Civilization seems to thrive much better when partitioned off in manageable groups of a tribal mentality who are committed to the success of one another–initiating and developing this frame of mind will be difficult, but once it catches on people will wonder how we ever did without. Love the idea of bringing everything to a local level. Great job in conception and execution.
Ugh. Why do they let planners submit to design competitions? At least bring an urban designer or architect onto the team before submitting to national competitions. Rant over. Now your ideas are great. You just need some help visualizing it to turn it into a real pitch.
This is the most comprehensive and viable solution. Keeping the urbanite in his or her community and making it self contained is very eco-friendly and sustainable. Congrats to this entrant, they hit a home run.
Yes
While maybe not completely developed, it points is in right direction.
combine this with some of the other ideas mentioned here (street reuse, mall/fram, etc) and we are making progress.
Nice…
sorry about the spelling…
Don’t understand Wayne Scott’s objection about the retail. “External” and “colony” retail are clearly marked & the “external” is right along an obvious thoroughfare.
Keeping the ‘burbs in the ‘burbs and re-making sense of a failed model is the only way we can survive the coming hard times. Great vision!
I thought this project was both creative and practical. I believe some of the concepts described are being talked about, even attempted, by some rural communities in Vermont.
This design has my vote.
Michael C.
This attacks the core of the problem. WELL DONE!
Fantastic!!! Very easy to read and understand for those of us who are “visual” learners. I am an artist and I need color and shapes to understand anything. I can’t cook from a cookbook, if it does not have pictures.
I have no further comment. It’s great, go for it!
One of the most thoughtful plans! The designers has found the real root of problems, and one of that some plans, which advice a complete solution to the complex problem! A real well done project plan! I hope (and yes, I think), this project will be able to change the town’s future, not just a plan from dozens of ideas in this design competition. A complex plan how to a operate a town. And it is realizable, it contains well known technologoies, and use them logically, usefully. Even this is realizable tomorrow, if a city determined itself. Good job!
Ithink is a very good idea! Very practicle and realistic! Well done, you’ll have my vote.
I think this is a great idea, IF you can get people to give up their property for the greater good, shop in their own community, not object to looking at and living with the grit associated with farming, not pollute the precious water resources that are being collected, and be patient with the changes. I am all for it, but I agree that the communities that most need this often have the fewest resources either financial or educational. You get my vote, because it is the right idea! Now you just have to deal with the people!
I can appreciate this submission. Your head and heart are in the right place. This is the 20,000ft vision. You should couple your efforts with the Urban Sprawl Repair Kit by Galina which is the 500ft vision and you can change the world. Good thoughts…..please work on the graphics as stated above.
Cheers!
this gets my vote – granular solution to a larger issue – and one that maps out a place i’d consider living.
As fun and utopian as this sounds, one of the most attractive things to suburbanites is a sense private space and property. That’s part of the reason why the self select to the suburbs.
The biggest obstacle to this plan might come from people having to share common resources. All it takes is one quarrel between community members to create a petty political quarrel or a tragedy of the commons. Communal living didn’t work in Soviet Russia, and my suspicion is it won’t fly in suburbia. Well, maybe in Norcal.
The global approach is very good.
Again, I am disappointed that most of these proposals do not attack a core problem of the suburbs–the lack of a tightly gridded transport system. Urban design deficiencies cannot be solved by architectural/engineered solutions.
Very interesting approach, but I have a hard time visualizing how that’d work from a traditional real estate finance perspective. (All that micro-infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain.) Seems like an interesting idea, though, for some type of experimental/alternative pilot project type-of-community.
This is very well presented – the concept plans showing the different layers of the community, and the bullet points get the ideas across quickly. (i’m a civil engineer with 15+ years of experience in land development and permitting. Trust me when I tell you I’ve created and seen my fair share of presentation plans.)