REPORT OF SUBCOMMITTEE ON ZONING
SINCE THE MOST ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF ZONING IS COMPREHENSIVENESS, THE INCONSISTENCY OF REGULATIONS WHICH GOVERN NO MORE THAN IMMEDIATE ROADSIDES IS APPARENT. "STRIP-ZONING", SO-CALLED, CANNOT BE COMPREHENSIVE. WE MUST REALIZE THAT ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF ROADSIDE IMPROVEMENT, AND NOT THE LEAST IMPORTANT, IS THE ADVANCEMENT OF AESTHETICS AS APPLIED TO THE LANDSCAPE, AND THE LANDSCAPE IS LIMITED ONLY BY VISION. WE MUST ALSO REMEMBER THAT "ZONING" IS NOT AN OBJECTIVE IN ITSELF, BUT AN IMPLEMENT OF PLANNING, AND THAT THE PLANNING OF THE ROADSIDE CANNOT STOP AT A DEFINITE DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER OF THE PAVEMENT. ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO ORGANIZED HIGHWAY BUILDERS WERE CONCERNED ONLY WITH MAJOR HIGHWAYS. TODAY THEY ARE CONCERNED WITH ALL HIGHWAYS. NOR CAN THE HIGHWAYS BE CONSIDERED BY THEMSELVES, SINCE THEY, TOO, ARE ONLY A FACILITY BY MEANS OF WHICH PEOPLE WHO ARE SERVED, AND THE LANDS WHICH ARE TRAVERSED. PARTICULARLY IN LATE YEARS, IT HAS COME TO BE REALIZED THAT THE MANNER OF USE OF PRIVATELY OWNED LAND IS OF GREAT PUBLIC CONCERN, AND THAT THE PUBLIC INTEREST IS BEST SERVED IF THE LAND IS USED FOR THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH IT IS BEST SUITED, AND IN THE MANNER THAT WILL PRESERVE OR EVEN IMPROVE, ITS USEFULNESS. THIS MEANS LAND PLANNING ON A COMPREHENSIVE BASIS, WITH THE ROADSIDES TREATED AS A PART OF THE WHOLE. ASIDE FROM ITS LACK OF COMPREHENSIVENESS, STRIP ZONING IS LESS DESIRABLE THAN COMPREHENSIVE ZONING FOR THE REASON THAT , IF PUT INTO EFFECT PRIOR TO COMPREHENSIVE ZONING, IT CANNOT FAIL TO CAUSE CONFUSION LATER, WHEN COMPREHENSIVE ZONING SHALL BE UNDERTAKEN. /AUTHOR/ THE CONTENT OF A MODEL COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE EMBODYING THESE CONCEPTS IS SKETCHED, AND THE WISCONSIN EXPERIENCE IS CITED.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Authors:
- TORKELSON, M W
- Publication Date: 1939-1
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
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Serial:
- Highway Research Board Roadside Development Committee Reports
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Highway planning; Land use planning; Level of service; Rural areas; Social values; Zoning
- Uncontrolled Terms: Services
- Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00204885
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: pp 16-31
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Jan 17 1972 12:00AM