The Neighborhood Unit: Physical Design or Physical Determinism?

Abstract

This paper traces the institutional, social, and physical design forces that shaped the ideology of Clarence A. Perry and influenced his development of the “neighborhood unit” concept. Officially introduced in 1929 as a part of the published Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs, the neighborhood unit, as conceived by Perry, has strongly influenced local planning and subdivision design since its inception. In addition, this paper investigates controversy surrounding attitudes toward the neighborhood unit and the purported “determinism” and reformist intents of the concept. It investigates the wide-spread influence of the model on residential design, investigates current attitudes of usefulness of the model, and considers New Urbanism as an opportune tweaking of the design elements of the neighborhood unit. It concludes that the neighborhood unit, while having social influences in residential life, is more accurately termed a physical design model that weaves neighborhood layout and opportunities for interaction.