Urban Succession
Urban development, when healthy, is a lot like ecological succession. Things that start small and simple tend to get larger and more complex. Things that can't be supported anymore will collapse and decay. Working with that cycle is part of what makes a city vibrant.
However, I think there is something to be said for establishing some points of stability as best we can. Too much change, especially too fast, disrupts communities and uproots people, which is bad for both community and health. Historic buildings and other sites deserve preservation.
What we want to avoid is the kind of overblown growth or stagnation that we see in many places today. Too big, too fast is usually a recipe for disaster. So is a shortage of resources. Most areas need significant flexibility. Most of the time, you want changes that improve things without disrupting the balance. Replace a single house with a duplex or add an auxiliary unit over the garage, and you have more homes. Allow a home business in a spare room or garage, or turn a house into a hair salon or thrift shop, and you gain more things for people to do in that neighborhood without attracting more outside traffic than the infrastructure or residents can support.
Well, look at nature again -- a healthy system has small-scale chance but overall it's pretty stable. Also, if you set things up properly, then something magical happens: stuff sprouts that you didn't have to pay to plant. Some of that may be a nuisance, but some of it is stuff you want to keep. So too with cities.
However, I think there is something to be said for establishing some points of stability as best we can. Too much change, especially too fast, disrupts communities and uproots people, which is bad for both community and health. Historic buildings and other sites deserve preservation.
What we want to avoid is the kind of overblown growth or stagnation that we see in many places today. Too big, too fast is usually a recipe for disaster. So is a shortage of resources. Most areas need significant flexibility. Most of the time, you want changes that improve things without disrupting the balance. Replace a single house with a duplex or add an auxiliary unit over the garage, and you have more homes. Allow a home business in a spare room or garage, or turn a house into a hair salon or thrift shop, and you gain more things for people to do in that neighborhood without attracting more outside traffic than the infrastructure or residents can support.
Well, look at nature again -- a healthy system has small-scale chance but overall it's pretty stable. Also, if you set things up properly, then something magical happens: stuff sprouts that you didn't have to pay to plant. Some of that may be a nuisance, but some of it is stuff you want to keep. So too with cities.