A residential cluster development, or open space development, is the grouping of residential properties on a development site to use the extra land as open space, recreation or agriculture. It is increasingly becoming popular in subdivision development because it allows the developer to spend much less on land and obtain much the same price per unit as for detached houses. The shared garden areas can be a source of conflict, however. Claimed advantages include more green/public space, closer community, and an optimal storm water management. Cluster development often encounters planning objections.
According to William H. Whyte, the author of “Cluster Development” there are two types of cluster development: townhouse development and super development. Examples of townhouse development include Morrell Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hartshone in Richmond, and Dudley Square in Shreveport. Examples of super development include Reston, Virginia, Crofton, Maryland, and Americana Fairfax in Virginia.
Background
In many ways, cluster development has been practiced since the earliest communities from the medieval village to the New England town. However, it was formalized as a modern concept only by the onset of suburban sprawl and ubiquity of detached house developments. The idea of a cluster development was created as the alternative to the conventional subdivision.
The first conscious application of a cluster development was in Radburn, New Jersey, in 1928. It was based on English planning and Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City movement but used principles of cluster development. Following Radburn, many other towns in New Jersey applied those principles to their planning notably the village green in Hillsborough, New Jersey, and Brunswick Hill in South Brunswick. In the rest of the country the use of cluster development grew in principally in Maryland and Virginia, notably in Reston and American Fairfax County.
Currently cluster development is applied all over the United States. There is particularly a strong push for it in the Midwestern States that have had significant problems with urban sprawl, such as Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Cluster development, also known as conservation development, is a site planning approach that is an alternative to conventional subdivision development. It is a practice of low-impact development that groups residential properties in a proposed subdivision closer together in order to utilize the rest of the land for open space, recreation or agriculture. Cluster development differs from a planned unit development (PUD), which contains a mix of residential, commercial, industrial, or other uses, but the cluster development primarily focuses on residential areas.
Purpose
The purpose of cluster development is to: promote integrated site design that is considerate to the natural features and topography protect environmentally sensitive areas of the development site, as well as permanently preserve important natural features, prime agricultural land, and open space minimize non-point source pollution through reducing the area of impervious surfaces on site encourage saving costs on infrastructure and maintenance through practices such as decreasing the area that needs to be paved and the decreasing distance that utilities need to be run the primary purpose is to create more area for open space, recreation and more social interaction
Benefits
Thanks to there being more porous ground coverings and fewer impervious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete, the risk of flooding and erosion from stormwater is reduced. Economical benefits of cluster development can include there being less infrastructure to build— fewer roads, sewers, and utility lines. The higher density of the clusters of housing also tends to mean more efficiency for services such as public transit, and can also promote increased bicycle usage and the encouragement of pedestrians. The extra open space made available by this type of development leaves room for parks, trails, and community-supported agriculture.
Issues
Following World War II, migration from the cities to suburbs became a dominant trend in America. People were acquiring any land they could find; as a result developers attempted to squeeze as many lots as they could on development sites. Communities then developed zoning regulations to limit the number of units and density allowed on a site. Though this zoning protected land for communities and to an extent preserved land from development, it was what ultimately led to the suburban sprawl as we know it today. It is this zoning that cluster development attempts to amend, and is the primary issue it faces.