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II. Background <br /> The City of Pequot Lakes was originally built around a railroad stop.The traditional way in which this <br /> was done throughout the Midwest was that the railroad company would install the rail line, plat out <br /> towns along the line,then sell the platted land to defray their construction costs.The railroad <br /> companies used the traditional grid pattern of development,a development style that had been used <br /> for human settlement across continents for thousands of years. <br /> The grid approach served cities of this era well.The grid created a fairly dense,walkable <br /> development pattern that worked well for people getting off the train and the business owners trying to <br /> service them.As the city grew and matured,the grid provided the framework for mixed-use <br /> neighborhoods to expand around the commercial district.The entire area was surrounded by farms and <br /> hunting areas and was, in nearly every sense,self-sufficient. <br /> Even so,the core of Pequot Lakes and its surrounding neighborhoods are constructed on the <br /> traditional grid. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of this pattern is critical to understanding <br /> how to revitalizing it. <br /> Sense of Place <br /> Besides the ease of surveying,the grid pattern provides a number of design advantages that were <br /> important in an era prior to automobile-base design.The public realm (the space between buildings now <br /> devoted largely to automobiles) provided space for social interaction.The orientation of the homes <br /> towards the public realm increased security. Mobility for pedestrians was enhanced by the connectivity <br /> of the grid. Most importantly,the grid provided a platform that could grow over time as the community <br /> matured. <br /> The social space of the public realm was created by a design that emphasized the value of that <br /> space.The layout and spacing of the buildings created what has been called a "sense-of-place".This is a <br /> design technique that also goes back to ancient times. <br /> Sense-of-place is easy to understand and identify.A room has a sense-of-place.When you are in a <br /> room, it is clear that you are in a place.The feature that gives the room this feeling is the walls. Without <br /> walls, the room would not exist and there would be no "place". <br /> So it is with the public realm. When the buildings on either side of the public space line up and form <br /> walls,the public space feels like a room and there is a sense-of-place.The primary design element is to <br /> make sure that buildings are properly spaced. If the public space is too narrow because the buildings are <br /> too close,the space will feel cramped and the sense-of-place will be lost. If the public space is too vast <br /> because the buildings that bound it are too far apart,the effect of the walls will be gone and there will <br /> be no sense-of-place. <br /> There is a standard design ratio to obtaining sense-of-place.That ratio of the width of the public <br /> realm to the height of the buildings must fall between 3:1 and 6:1.This is how that looks in a <br /> predominantly residential neighborhood. <br /> 1 <br />