Neighborhood Character and a Sense of Place on Rice Street

June 2007, Ann Forsyth

Metropolitan Design Center

Neighborhood Character

Contents

1. What gives a neighborhood its design character?

2. Rice Street in North End

1. What Gives a Neighborhood its Design Character?

Physical Dimensions:• Natural features and

designed landscapes• Individual buildings • Settings or districts

Livability Dimensions (American Institute of Architects) include:

• Human scale• Transportation options• Activity choices• Public spaces• Identity

2. A. Natural & Designed LandscapesGreen Streets and Plazas

2. B. BuildingsVisual Interest, Variety, and Detail

Image ©2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

Rice Street has many well-used 1 and 2 story buildings

The area has many historic buildings of 2-3 stories

Finally, are a number of larger buildings of to 3 or 4 stories or taller

Rice Street includes a variety of housing types: apartments, lofts, duplexes, and single family

2. C. Settings Settings form the immediate surroundings of a project

2. LivabilityRice Street Has Many Assets

Livability Dimensions (American Institute of Architects) include:

• Human scale• Transportation

options• Activity choices• Public spaces• Identity

Human scale, activity, choices, public spaces, identity

2. LivabilityIdentity of Rice Street is From Signage

2. LivabilityHuman-Scale Signage

Physical Dimensions• Natural features and designed landscapes• Individual buildings • Settings or districts

Livability Dimensions• Human scale• Transportation options• Activity choices• Public spaces• Identity

Rice Street’s Neighborhood Character