Street Affrontage

A project currently under construction here in Charlottesville reminds me of the importance of respecting basic urban design principles in shaping the built environment.

The main entry for the 3Twenty3 project on Garrett St is not on the street as good urban design would dictate, but in the middle of the block, accessed via a courtyard between two adjacent buildings. Along Garrett St, the project presents a blank face to the public, effectively turning its back on the street.

Entering a building directly from a parking lot or courtyard rather than the street is characteristic of suburban development, not one designed to enhance the pedestrian environment of the city. This seems to be a common pattern in several recent developments in Charlottesville, including the nearby Home2Suites hotel, and the downtown branch of ACAC. It points to a glaring shortcoming (or lack of basic urban design knowledge) in our land use regulations.

The core urban design idea, of course, is to enliven the public realm by having buildings face (or “front on”) public streets. A similar-sized office building nearby at 425 2nd St SE, shows how to do it right: the main entrance faces the street, and has a secondary entry directly from the parking in the rear.

Designing urban buildings like bunkers is an idea that thankfully went out with the nineteen-seventies, and should simply not be permitted in today’s urban environment. In this case, 3Twenty3 turns its back not only on the street, but also an (about to be re-developed) affordable housing project across the street, suggesting the problem here is not only bad design, but also not-so-subtle racism.