Book Description

This report examines the possibilities of vul nerability reduction through long-term changes in urban form and structure, in the light of projected trends in economic and social forces affecting future urban development. Urban decen tralization is likely to continue in the future, and technological change may permit delibera72acceleration of this trend toward sprawling urban regions. Various conceptual and empirical urban forms are reducible to a few basic types. The vulnerability characteristics of the different forms are mixed, but the galaxy and dispersed sheet forms are generally best suited to civil defense purposes. These are similar to the forms that future urban regions are expected to take. A variant of the dispersed sheet form is con sidered the most advantageous; it would provide compact urban communities, separated by extensive open spaces devoted to nonurban land uses, within future metropolitan areas. In addition, efforts to increase the 'hardness' of urban structures are desirable. An increased proportion of high hardness structural types should be encouraged in the building mix. This increase should take the form mainly of high-hardness residential structures dispersed singly or in clusters throughout residential areas. Indirect methods are considered by which progress toward these objectives might be assisted through various on going Federal and state governmental activities. (Author).