High Point is a 129-acre (52 ha) mixed-income redevelopment project in Seattle focused on resident well-being and an enhanced quality of life in the surrounding area.
Health-promoting features at High Point include a community clinic, pedestrian-friendly design, and homes designed to reduce the risk and severity of asthma.
The Anaheim Redevelopment Agency had two primary goals in mind when it sought a public/private partnership to convert a 5.3-acre (2.1 ha) former truck transfer facility along Anaheim Boulevard to housing: 1) the revitalization of vacant, once industrial properties in downtown, and 2) the development of affordable housing. The agency used a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process to select John Laing Homes (JLH) as its partner to develop the site. The homebuilder was chosen in large part because of its creative and innovative designs and its demonstrated ability to work effectively with community leaders. The completed project includes 20 single-family detached homes and homes and 36 townhomes.
Located in the rapidly growing southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong, the Fifth Garden represents a radical departure from the norm of recent urban residential development in China. Rather than fitting as many units as possible in a Western-style high-rise building or townhouse complex, Vanke Real Estate Company—mainland China’s largest real estate developer—opted to celebrate Chinese tradition and design in its Fifth Garden project, a 11.2-hectare (27.7-ac) planned community containing 1,000 high-end for-sale residential units, a small commercial core, generous amounts of public open space, and parking for 750 cars.
Located in Salford, an outer suburb of Manchester, Chimney Pot Park is a radical redevelopment of 349 residential units in a troubled terrace-house neighborhood. For years, the community suffered from low demand and declining value, and was plagued by crime and antisocial behavior, absentee landlords and irresponsible tenants, and open back alleys that encouraged neglect and vandalism. With the original housing stock slated for demolition, Urban Splash—a development company renowned for regenerating distressed or problematic sites—drastically reconfigured the internal design and layout of the homes while retaining the original façades and street pattern.
Bridgeland is an 11,400-acre master-planned community northwest of Houston, Texas, which will be home to 65,000 residents when complete in 2037. Like the Woodlands, its predecessor, the Bridgeland site plan centers on scenic lakes that improve water quality, irrigate during droughts, and draw residents to common areas for recreation. These lakes form a stormwater system that exceeds local design requirements, and which has managed storm events much larger than those anticipated.
The Atlantic Beach Country Club rejuvenated what had been a faded 18-hole golf course in the small town of Atlantic Beach, Florida, adjacent to Jacksonville. Adding 178 new single-family houses on 50 acres in the center of the 170-acre property financed entirely new facilities for the country club, reviving the club’s flagging membership. The new country club includes a redesigned 18-hole golf course and an expanded clubhouse with additional amenities. The new houses, ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, were built by both production and custom builders in a mix of regional architectural styles. The town supplied reclaimed water for irrigation in exchange for an open-space easement over the golf course.
Mueller is a 700-acre redevelopment of a former airport into a health-focused master-planned community just three miles from downtown Austin, Texas. By 2020, Mueller is projected to have over 5,700 single family and multifamily units, a quarter of which will be affordable for low-income families. The Catellus Development Corporation worked with master planners ROMA Design and McCann Adams Studio to promote community health and wellness, to increase pedestrian activity, to improve air quality, and to utilize low-emission building materials.
Mueller’s various facilities and amenities are designed around the principles of social interaction, open space preservation, and active lifestyles. Tree-lined sidewalks and protected bicycle lanes provide shade and connect to a comprehensive trail system, retail, and recreational parks to encourage walking and bicycling. To promote physical fitness, Mueller provides sports facilities, playgrounds, a stretching area, and outdoor showers. A six-acre orchard and community garden provides residents with a seasonal harvest. Residents have initiated over 40 different clubs and interest groups and over 70,000 people attend large scale community events annually. The developer has facilitated social interaction these interactions through a block party at move-in and through physical design, including front porches, stoops, gardens, and alleyways in residential areas.
In just a dozen years, Daniel Island, a 4,000-acre (1,619 ha) site at the northern end of Charleston Harbor has been transformed from a private hunting retreat to a master-planned community. In the process, it has become an important center for the region and a national model for smart growth.
At the project’s inception in 1995, the region’s newly opened I-526 beltway passed through Daniel Island, presenting a unique suburban infill opportunity that would enable the city to grow without contributing to sprawl. On its way to becoming a small town—the community is 50 percent complete as of early 2007—Daniel Island already has nearly 2,000 residences and a town center with shops, restaurants, and other conveniences; extensive recreation amenities; and many businesses, schools, churches, and two professional sports facilities. At buildout in 2015, the community is expected to contain approximately 6,000 residences and 3 million square feet (278,709 m2) of commercial space.
Located at the center of Istanbul’s business and hotel district, Akaretler Row Houses were originally built in 1875 by Sarkis Balyan by the order of Sultan Abdülaziz, as an annex to the magnificent Domalbahçe Palace (residence of the Ottoman emperors). The first housing compound project for the Ottoman Empire, the houses represented one of the early cultural steps toward Westernization within the empire in the first quarter of the 19th century. This change is most evident in the neoclassical facade, lacking the influence of the previous baroque and rococo styles. The mixed-use project includes 34 businesses occupying 14,399 square meters (154,990 sf) of office space, 19,436 square meters (209,207 sf) of high-end shops and restaurants, 23 single-family housing units, 21 multifamily housing units, and a 134-room upscale hotel.
Under conditions of expansionary pressure and strong growth trends, the Saigon South New City Center represents a new urbanizing core just south of central Ho Chi Minh City. This new urban node covers a 433 hectare (1,070 ac) district and seeks to serve young urbanites along with international businesses. The new district includes 645,239 square meters (6,945,295 sq ft) of office space, 430,307 square meters (4,631,786 sq ft) of retail space, 3,486 single-family homes, 11,262 multifamily units, and 891,500 square meters (9,596,0236 sq ft) of open space, along with space for hotels, education, civic uses, and parking. Over the decade after its completion, the new district was completely sold and 90% leased with many international businesses choosing to locate there.