The purpose of the ResilientCity.org Design Ideas Competition is to stimulate thinking and discourse about how to increase the resilience of our cities as we move into a century where our cities will be subjected to the combined environmental and economic impacts of Peak Oil and Climate Change.

1. Re-urbia
Revitalising neighbourhoods
A ResilientCity Entry
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2. City Scale
Overview The City is undertaking large
scale regeneration. Many failing
neighborhoods have been
Our study is located in a suburban low density residential neighbourhood in Oak redesignated as eco corridors
Park, Detroit. We have chosen Detroit as it exemplifies the typical American city suffering from providing localized urban
declining fortunes of the car industry and empty abandoned streets caused by the sub prime mortgage agriculture and renewable energy.
Neighbourhood
crisis. With large areas of Detroit abandoned and left to decay its time to re-evaluate the fundamental
structure of the city alongside recommendations for a new denser suburban grain to create a true resilient city.
As a starting point we have asked ourselves the simplest of questions; can we turn these abandoned parts
of the city to the advantage of all and instil a shift to localised urbanism and sustainable living post peak oil?
In answer we believe we can – by giving back swathes of land within the city to urban agriculture, bio fuel
crops and renewable energy resources such as solar farms. The subsequent reduced city area available for 2009
residential use enables the opportunity for the intensification and restructuring of the remaining suburban areas
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into local centres capable of supporting themselves from a social, environmental and economic standpoint. All
this must be in keeping with the American Dream of freedom of choice. Opportunity for every person to choose
how they want to live, whether to redevelop their plot of land on their own, or perhaps with a neighbor, or maybe
a developer, or to keep the big house and all the land. Broad choice of accommodation is at the heart of our
proposal to foster diverse social sustainability. It would be naïve to suggest successful regeneration by
forcing everyone into high density apartments.
Living
We appreciate this brief submission is part of the starting point on a issue which
needs much more research, trial and error, before a workable solution is
found. Therefore this paper can only hint at a suggested direction in
relatively simplistic terms with some broad assumptions made.
2029 The diagrams
conceptually illustrate urban
restructuring at the city scale over a twenty
year period with some areas of failing industry
and predominantly residential areas reallocated for
Hi, I’m Tim and I’ve lived in
food and energy production. The remaining suburbs will
Detroit all my life.
undergo intensification to become as self sufficient as
Over the years I’ve watched Detroit possible.
decline from a production powerhouse to a place
where nobody wants to be anymore. The location of the selected neighborhood
is highlighted in red.
Re-Urbia is going to help turn things round by
reviving our neighborhoods.
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3. There aren’t enough facilities
City Scale
Neighbourhood like shops and parks in our
neighborhoods as there are too few
people to support them.
Recasting an urban fabric that challenges the
need for daily car usage is key to the success of
the sustainable city. Making the individuals daily world
Year 20+ Four neighbourhoods combine to create a population capable
Neighbourhood
smaller in distance by providing those things, such as work
of sustaining a post office, doctor and sheltered
and daily needs within a short walk we will create places that
accommodation within half a mile/10 minute
people want to live.
walk. A significant sub centre comprised
of 16 neighbourhoods with larger food
The neighbourhood design ethos promotes the concept of
stores, secondary school, library etc
a traditional village, with a centre that will meet most daily
within 1 mile/20 minutes walk.
needs, set in a urban hierarchy that enables neighborhoods to
cumulatively combine their population in order to sustain higher
Argricultural
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order centers capable of meeting most weekly needs without having
swathe and
to transport long distances. An important part of this approach is the
Number of households supporting energy
understanding of economic sustainability and the appreciation of the local community facilities Source: Eco Towns
Research, 2007, UK. production
population required to sustain business and public transport systems
provide
(see upper right).
Living
Year 0 The majority of the neighbourhood is comprised Year The neighbourhood village promotes a walkable grid with
of residential single storey houses with little
10 a local shop, primary school and local park within
community facilities, public open space and a quarter of a mile/ 5 minute walk.
Local centre
public transport.
Neighborhood - 1/4 mile (5mins)
walking circle A target density of 12.2 dwellings per
Open space The current density of approx. 5.1 acre, via a range of housing mix, is
dwellings per acre is insufficient to required to sustain a viable local
School
support local facilities. centre within a 5 minute
Local centre walking distance.
Sub centre
Urban agriculture
Solar farm/large scale agriculture
Radial bus route
Rapid transit route
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4. The Block
City Scale
5.7 Existing
Block illustrating the typical Detroit suburban
Densification Typologies residential building typology. All figures given
A limited selection of building typologies have been investigated as examples
are per acre.
of suburban intensification. Combinations of the typologies shown here are
capable of meeting the identified population density required for a hierarchy of
It’s all about choice. Redevelop
Neighbourhood
viable centers. or stay the same. Government
Location incentives encourage you to
A typical suburban Detroit
redevelop your plot alone or in
partnership with your neighbors.
block has been selected
for study.
12.1
Significant
further work
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is required to
expand the range
of typologies in
order to create truly
diverse and viable
regeneration from a social
Living
and economic perspective.
7.7
The block
The aerial photo (left) illustrates the
Extension
block selected for study.
Vertical extension
The building typologies are designed creates an apartment
to enable ease of regeneration by above existing house.
either the landowner, developer or Requires 1 plot minimum.
regeneration agency. For example, one
existing plot may be subdivided into
two terraced properties, or two existing
plots may be subdivided into three
Detached
detached propoerties and so forth.
Sub-division of two plots to
This enables the landowner freedom
create three detached properties.
of choice with regard to their own Blocks Stats Key
Requires 2 plots minimum. Option for
plot. The owner may either choose to
live/work. Dwellings per acre
maintain the status quo or redevelop,
live in one property and sell the other.
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5. The Block
City Scale
8.1 Semi - Detached
Sub-division of three plots to create four semi-
Target Mix detached properties. Requires 3 plots
The identified
minimum. Option for live/work.
neighbourhood target
density of 12.1dpa
The majority of the new houses
Neighbourhood
equating to are bigger and have more
approximately shared community facilities like
2,000 homes allotments. It’s all about using land
can be achieved more efficiently.
via numerous
combinations of 12.1
the densification
typologies shown here.
Block
For demonstration, the
below table outlines one potential
combination.
Non
Typology Units Unit% Mix Residential
ft2
Living
Existing 92 10% N/A 23.1
Terraced
Extension 99 5% N/A Sub-division of
three plots to create
four semi-detached
Detached 188 15% * Loca centre
properties. Requires 3 plots
Neighbourhood 400m walking minimum. Option for live/work.
circle
Semi-
Detached
238 18% * Open space Apartments/Mixed
Use
School
Combination of four plots to create
Terraced 634 32% * Local centre
mixed-use apartment block. Flexible
typology permits a range of uses from
Apartments/ 398,262m2
residential to business and retail. The Blocks Stats Key
752 20%
Mixed Use approx. density and population stats shown are
Dwellings per acre
based on the non residential uses at ground floor
Min
Total 2003 100% with apartment above.
398,264 * Opportunity for live/work
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6. Living The houses are pretty big, bigger in fact than others round here as
City Scale
they’re over two floors. That was a major factor in us deciding
to move here, along with the garden, garage and community
20 Years time facilities in the courtyard. There’s a barbeque area, allotments and
Existing
a safe place for the kids to play and mix it with others their own
age. It’s a great way of getting to know your neighbors!
Example of future intensified bock illustrating potential mix of
building typologies.
Neighbourhood
We’ve lived here for years and I’ve put a lot or
work into the house so I don’t really want to
move. I like the way this area has moved on
though. You didn’t used be able to walk to the
shops which are great because I don’t like
drive too much anymore.
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Living
I love knowing that I’m helping
the environment by living as
sustainably as possible. I grow
a lot of my vegetables, I don’t
have to drive everywhere and we
produce a lot of our own energy.
We had a house on a huge plot which was far too much
land for us to maintain. The new government policy and
incentives to subdivide our property was perfect for us
as our house was pretty old and in disrepair. We built
two houses and we rent one out and live in the other
It’s our first time buying. We really wanted to get a place which is great for our finances.
in the city center but couldn’t afford the prices. This is
the next best thing though as there are shops, bars
and cafes with everything we need. The transport is
really good into the city so we don’t need to worry
about saving for a car right away, if at all.
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7. Agricultural and green walls
are of using space that
otherwise wouldn’t be
used.
There is more than a 1 to
1 ratio of green area versus
building floor space.
We can grow a lot of our own vegetable
in the communal allotments within
the block. We set up a rota for day to
day tasks.
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8. City Scale
The new block is built around the idea of shared
communal gardens where everyone can get to know
each other in a safe environment.
There’s a barbeque area, space for kids to play,
vegetable allotments and a sustainable urban drainage
Neighbourhood
system which we can use to water the landscape and
vegetables. Those who have electric or hybrid cars can even
charge up from the solar array shading the parking spaces.
Block
Living
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9. Sustainable Urban
Drainage System 020709-03-0020

10. Mixed Use
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