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II. Background <br /> The City of Pequot Lakes was originally built with a "grid" style of development.Throughout the <br /> Midwest, railroad companies would plat out towns along the rail line, and then sell the land to help <br /> defray their construction costs. The grid created a dense, walkable pattern that allowed for easy access <br /> to the local businesses. <br /> Cities of this era were served well using the grid approach.As the city grew and matured,the grid <br /> provided the framework for mixed-use neighborhoods to expand around the commercial district. <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 />