Alleys and urban form: Testing the tenets of new urbanism

For at least a decade, writers have endeavored to both criticize and defend neotraditional urbanism. The battle has raged mostly at the macro-level, with advocates of new urban form claiming that better design will lead to better communities. Meanwhile, many authors, including critical geographers, have condemned neotraditional urbanists for inventing histories and contributing to an increasingly polarized society. My purpose is to sidestep these big battles by evaluating the details of neotraditional design piece by piece through empirical observation. To begin, I chose to examine how people perceive and use their alleys, Alleys, often associated with dirt and crime, are one of the most controversial elements associated with neotraditional design. I distributed questionnaires, took photographs, and carried out inter-views with residents in four older neighborhoods in San Diego. For the most part, people like alleys and use them often. Information of this kind can be useful in the planning and design of neotraditional communities.