Sunshine Towns: New Urbanism in Florida

By Anthony Catanese

This is an examination of the New Urbanism movement that started in Florida with the development of Seaside, FL (by Robert Davis). That plan led to the development of several New Urbanism towns including Celebration (by the Walt Disney Company), Abacoa (by the MacArthur Foundation), Harmony (by James and Martha Lentz), and Windsor (by Galen and Hilary Weston). It looks at the massive 300,000 acres development by Deseret Ranch and Citrus Company (owned by the Church of the Latter Day Saints) that could include as many as ten New Urbanism towns, the first of which, Sunbridge, is under construction. It also examines the evolution of New Urbanism in what is called New Urbanism Hybrids that include several developments based on new technologies, redevelopment of older areas, and even a religious town created by the founder of Domino's Pizza.

This concept is the most interesting architecture and planning concept in recent history, and while Florida is the showcase, New Urbanism towns are built and under construction all over the country and even internationally.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543975130

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Copyright © 2019 by Anthony Catanese

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Print ISBN: 978-1-54397-512-3

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54397-513-0

To My Grandsons

Anthony, Robert, and Dominic Catanese

Contents

Chapter One

Some Introductory Notes

Chapter Two

The Start Of New Towns

Chapter Three

New Urbanism Towns In Florida: The Principal Examples

Chapter Four

New Urbanism Hybrids

Chapter Five

Concluding Thoughts

This is an analysis and evaluation of the New Urbanism movement that started in Florida and has achieved global recognition. I describe the principles of New Urbanism as a major contribution to urban planning, architecture, and environmental design. The fact that it started in Florida is explained and shown to be a possible model for other growing states.

The first chapters discuss the beginnings of new towns in England, especially Ebenezer Howard and his Garden Cities movement. The discussion continues about its evolution in England and how it influenced the development of the new towns in the United States. Early new towns in Florida; like Miami, St. Petersburg, Venice, Hialeah, Coral Gables, and Opa Locka are evaluated.

The next several chapters examine the major New Urbanism towns in Florida. Seaside is considered to be the start of New Urbanism and still the icon. It is evaluated in depth. The other major New Urbanism towns that are examined include: Celebration by the Disney Company; Abacoa by the MacArthur Foundation; Windsor by Canadian developers Galen and Hilary Weston; and Harmony by Jim and Martha Lentz. The newest and largest of all New Urbanism Projects is the massive 10-town, 300,000-acre development underway by the Deseret Ranch, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. The first of these towns, Sunbridge, is under construction. State Approval of the Sector Plan has already been granted for the remaining towns.

The next chapter describes what I call the New Urbanism Hybrid Towns. These are significant developments that use the principles of New Urbanism, yet add some new twists and turns. The example of the use of technology to a major extent in the town of Babcock Ranch is examined. The conversion of existing developments into New Urbanism towns as found in such areas as the Lakewood Ranch, Viera, and Haile Plantation is also analyzed. Special examples, such as, Ave Maria, a religiously oriented New Urbanism community, is discussed.

The final chapters examine the significance of New Urbanism in Florida and its potential for growth management for the future. New Urbanism is not offered as the answer to all of Florida’s challenges, but it is seen as the strong alternative to urban sprawl.

Copyright notices: This book is written to inform and educate. This book may contain fair use of images and figures for purposes of criticism, comment, teaching, scholarship, and research, and therefore not a copyright infringement. I have attempted to note any copyrighted images after 1923. I have tried to credit each image when a source can be identified.

Anthony James Catanese was awarded the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Catanese is the former Dean of the College of Architecture of the University of Florida and the Dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. He also served as President of Florida Atlantic University and the Florida Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Dr. Catanese was ably assisted by his research associate Ms. Julia P. Thompson. He is grateful for her excellent work on this book.

Chapter One

Some Introductory Notes

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

Proverbs 29:18

Florida has too often been the butt of jokes in our popular culture. It is like the Rodney Dangerfield of states--I don’t get no respect. Who can forget when Jerry Seinfeld in one of his TV shows said, My parents are moving to Florida. They don’t want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that’s the law.

Well the third largest state in the union deserves much better than that, especially in the realm of urban planning. Florida has been the place where some of the most exciting plans have been executed. I mainly want to focus in on the new towns that have been built, in particular, those which follow the basic tenets of New Urbanism-another Florida first. New Urbanism started with the building of Seaside in the Florida Panhandle, and it has become a national and, indeed, international movement. I want to look in depth at some of the stellar examples of New Urbanism in Florida and even look for future developments.

Origin

When Juan Ponce de Leon, at the behest of King Ferdinand, left Puerto Rico to look for the Island of Niminy, fabled as the Fountain of Youth, he instead found the North American Mainland. On Easter Day during the year of 1513, Pascua in Spanish, he saw what he thought was a large island. It was probably in the vicinity of present day Melbourne Beach. It appeared verdant, and since it was Easter, and the springtime flowers were in full bloom, he called it La Florida, the flowered place. (See Robert A. Taylor’s Florida: An Illustrated History for a lively and interesting read).

Not much was going on at that place. It was inhabited by a tribe of indigenous people called the Ais Indians. Not a particularly large people, but very aggressive fighters. They subsisted on hunting and fishing, but little if any agriculture. They lived on the barrier island during summer, and they migrated to the mainland in the winter. The ubiquitous mosquito infestations made that a required move.