Chapter 8.1
Technical Bulletin No. 5. Planning Neighborhoods for Small Houses
July 1, 1936
Front cover
Subdivision plan by George B. Post and Sons showing mixed use, use of the cul-de-sac, and a hierarchical street system. Excerpt from caption "... a well balanced subdivision..."
Plan diagram of urban peripheral growth. Caption excerpt: "This is an actual example of what happens to city growth when there is no master city plan. The original portion of the city (in black) followed a pattern in which consideration had been given to arterial highways. Lacking subdivision control or city plan, new subdivisions were placed on the market without reference to the existing arterial highways and thefuture traffic needs of the community or the street plan of adjoining subdivisions...."
Gridiron subdivision plan seen as part of the the city fabric. Caption excerpt: "This monotonous gridiron plan has but little character or appeal...."
Modified gridiron subdivision seen as part of the city fabric now eliminates unnecessary and wasteful cross streets, providing more private residential streets and public access to the park.
Caption excerpt. "This sketch illustrates the manner in which the street improvements on an 80 foot thorough fare may be gradually increased as the neigborhood grows...."
Plan diagrams showing FHA's endorsement of courts and cul-de-sacs. Caption excerpt: "..It is possible to group small homes much more interestingly in locations of this kind than along straight streets. A skillful planner will find that by the use of cul-de-sacs many odd-shaped remnants may be plotted into valuable sites."
Plan diagram showing use of cul de sac to develop "odd shaped remnant of land" and "good" and "bad" treatments of corner conditions according to lot size.
Plan diagrams showing "good" and "bad" subdivision design with particular attention to intersection safety.
Plan diagrams showing "good" and "bad" subdivision design with particular attention to street area and traffic safety.
The FHA's quotation of Radburn as a possible model of subdivision design. Caption: "The Radburn type plan showing a series of cul-de-sacs grouped in a superblock around a central park. The traffic highways border the superblock. The houses face the front yards and parks rather than the streets. The cul-de-sac roadways are service drives and give access to the rear of the houses. Traffic passes by rather than among the houses.
Diagrams to accompany FHA's discussion of commercial areas as part of subdivisions. Sketches A,B, C, and D as alternatives to E showing methods of developing shopping centers with "proper zoning and deed restrictions...Plan B placed midway in the block eliminates traffic dangers."