South County Design Manual
a product of the South County Watersheds Technical Planning Assistance Project

Location: Washington County, Rhode Island
Date Completed: 2001
Client: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy, Providence, RI.

The Design Manual was the outgrowth of a year-long series of workshops with planners and citizens of the region, designed to explore how better planning and design could help towns keep growing without losing their visual character and quality of life. The Design Manual was built around a series of illustrated development scenarios, designed to show how planning and design can work together to build more sustainable communities. From a list of about 25 possible sites, eight sites were chosen to represent a cross section of possible development types, transportation issues, environmental challenges and social contexts. Some of the sites, for instance, are directly off I-95, while others have potential rail access or are constrained by poor road connections. Some of the sites are within or on the edge of existing towns and villages, while others are out in the countryside. Ranging from tens of acres to several thousand, the sites also explore issues at a range of scales, from detailed issues of infill within a streetscape, to large-scale development patterns across a rural district.

The South County Design Manual helps the general public understand the complex planning and design issues faced by rural and suburban communities.

Base maps and resource overlays were prepared for each site based on information from Rhode Island Geographic Information System. Aerial photographs of each area were taken to serve as the basis for illustrations. Grouping the sites by theme -- residential, commercial, mixed-use, etc. -- Dodson Associates led a series of workshops with the Advisory Committee to explore alternative growth scenarios. First, the group examined how each site would most likely be developed under current zoning regulations and market trends. The second scenario explored how it might be possible to fit the same amount of development on a site, but in a more creative and sustainable way. This often means allowing more of a mix of uses on sites, promoting pedestrian access, and encouraging flexible development standards within an overall master plan. Each of the design scenarios is completely imaginary -- but they are based on careful study of the physical and regulatory constraints that affect actual sites. As a result, many of the issues and problems inherent in developing in South County were identified early on, so that the consultants could look for potential solutions, whether through zoning changes, flexible development standards, planning concepts or detailed design approaches.

The eight design scenario sites were chosen to represent the typical kinds of
sites and development issues faced by South County towns.

To illustrate these complex planning issues and the potential design solutions for each site, birds-eye view drawings were prepared that show both large-scale planning ideas and detailed design of streets, buildings, parking lots, etc. In each case, the first drawing illustrates existing conditions on the site. The second image shows what is likely to happen under current zoning and development trends. A third image illustrates a more creative approach, in many cases based on pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development. The design manual is built around this set of three images of each site, surrounded by descriptive text and photographs illustrating existing conditions and examples of conventional and creative approaches to development. It is designed primarily as an educational resource, but could also be used as a reference in regulatory review of site planning and design.

Existing conditions for a "town gateway district" near Interstate 95. Click drawing for full size view.

Conventional commercial and residential development under current zoning. Click drawing for full size view.

Recommended development based on traditional village planning principles. Click drawing for full size view.

See also:
South County Watersheds Technical Planning Assistance Project and
South County Greenspace Project.

Awards: The South County Design Manual was featured at the 2001 meeting of the National Governor's Conference, and has received awards from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission and the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. In October, 2001, the Design Manual was awarded a national honor award from the American Society of Landscape Architects.