Excerpt from Section 1 of this document...
Understanding the beginnings of the Resort Area and its subsequent evolution is fundamental to producing good architectural and site design for the area. As a result of the denseness of the development and the grid system of the streets, the Resort Area possesses urban characteristics rather than the suburban characteristics that define the vast majority of the remainder of the developed city. The application within the Resort Area of the same design principles used throughout the suburban portions of the city is not appropriate. To apply suburban design principles to the urban pattern of the Resort Area is to waste the area's potential to be an exciting, visually stimulating, pedestrian-oriented environment typically associated with some of the great resort cities and places of the world.
Many people believe that the term 'urban' refers only to high-rise construction or big buildings close together as evidenced most often by such places as New York, London, or Paris. In its truest sense, urban most accurately describes those parts of our built environment that are discernibly different from their suburban and rural counterparts. It connotes denser arrangements of buildings characterized by overlapping patterns of use and activities, and clearly defined, humanely-scaled external spaces, where citizens can conduct their business and meet and mingle freely with others. These factors create a system of relationships that is larger and more comprehensive than the design of individual buildings, and which requires special consideration for best results. The organization of these various factors, including building design, landscape, open space and transportation is referred to as "urban design." Urban design is intended to bring order, clarity and a pleasing harmony to urban places. Urban design creates the "character" of a place. This character is primarily formed by the arrangement and details of the elements that defines it - the walls of buildings that enclose a plaza, for example; or the storefronts along the commercial street; or the dwellings that line a residential avenue.
The purpose of the design guidelines contained within this document is to provide clear examples of the practices that are necessary for the creation of a 'character of place' that will provide successful, memorable experiences within the Oceanfront Resort Area.