Subdivision Design

R ichard S. B eebe
Carl L. Gardner & Associates
City Planning Consultants
Chicago, Illinois

The importance and value of sound subdivision design cannot be

over-emphasized. Although subdivisions have been laid out for many
centuries, it has only been in the last few years that sound land planning
practices have been employed to develop new residential and commercial
and industrial areas. The age-old gridiron system of long square blocks
or short square blocks has given way to the modern and scientific methods
of the professional land planner.
Subdivision design has become one of the vital factors in community
development. Any city or village has as much responsibility to its
citizens to provide for proper subdivision design and community planning
as it has to provide fire and police service, water supply and sanitation.
The designs and plans of today cannot overcome the faults of the past
except in cases of large-scale urban renewal or rebuilding programs, but
these plans can provide coordinated and attractive surroundings for the
citizens of today and tomorrow.
Today, subdivision designing entails the study of many varied
features of a tract of land. In order to provide for a harmonious
pattern of land uses in a neighborhood or community, the topography
must be carefully studied to provide proper alignment of streets, drainage
of marsh areas, and to secure the best locations for homes, schools and
churches. Existing structures must be noted as well as the general
character of the neighborhood so that there is some uniformity, at least
in the overall picture.
City planning has come a long way in the last few decades, and
perhaps its greatest importance has been in the field of residential area
development. The preparation of a comprehensive city plan or com­
prehensive county plan provides a logical pattern of residential expansion
and the orderly separation of commercial, recreational and industrial
districts. It provides not only for the expansion of residential areas but
for the redevelopment and rebuilding of existing residential areas when
age and economic conditions justify. Such a plan becomes the framework
on which a community can build its future. The plan becomes the city’s
149
 150

working tool for shaping the individual features of expansion and rede­
velopment. Such a plan is not easy to acquire or readily available from
text books or other plans; it must be tailor-made by experienced and pro­
fessional planners working either as permanent staff or on a consulting
basis to the city. Every phase of the plan must be reviewed by the plan
commission and the city to obtain a final program that will work and
that will be enforced.

Subdivision Regulations
One of the most important features of any city’s rules and regula­
tions are the subdivision regulations. I think two questions arise here:
first, what are subdivision regulations, and second, why do we need
subdivision regulations. First, subdivision regulation is the guidance of
land subdivision development by a public authority, preferably the
planning agency. This agency must have power to withhold the privilege
of public record from plats which do not conform to the established
requirements and standards. By refusing to issue building permits, pave
streets, extend water or sewer lines or offer other municipal services to
areas which are not shown as recorded land subdivision plats, the city
has strong powers indeed to insist on conformity with its regulations.
Although regarded by many builders and developers as interference,
the '‘health, safety, and general welfare of the community” as guarded
by the police power has taken precedence.
Subdivision regulations then are the published standards set up by
the city to control:
Length and depth of blocks
W idth and depth of lots
Arrangement and width of streets
Conformity with major street plan
Required open spaces and utility easements
and similar items

Conformity to these standards is a most effective method of insuring

the accomplishment of the master plan as well as providing desirable
residential areas.
They also insure the proper and complete development of land.
Although they pertain principally to residential areas, they are readily
adaptable to commercial and industrial sites and institutional uses.
W hy are subdivision regulations so important? They are important
and necessary to protect the city and the home owner. Complete and
effective regulations protect the city from excessive construction and
 151

maintenance costs, from premature development of neighborhoods with

streets and walks left vacant for years, from deterioration and obso­
lescence of improvements and from many problems arising from traffic
circulation, sewer and water main capacity and the disgruntled citizens!
Protection is provided the home owner by providing and maintain­
ing attractive and desirable neighborhoods where people want to live and
want to maintain the character of their neighborhood. The home owner
benefits also from the increased and continuing stability of his invest­
ment. Good wide streets, well shaped lots with effective drainage and
proper public utility installation will help retain a larger proportion of
the original purchase price of any home. Even the developer can save
money and time by adhering to sound subdivision planning. Sewer and
water installation costs, street paving and increased sales activity are di­
rectly traceable to planning design in conformance with sound regula­
tions and practices.
Subdivision regulations obtain their power through the city council
or county board based on powers granted by the state. Their effective
operation and enforcement is strictly a local matter and should be con­
sidered as important as any other city law or ordinance. A strong plan
commission working with the city officials and developers should be
operating in every community. This commission should evolve subdivi­
sion regulations that can be applied to its own area and are based on local
conditions.

General Requirements of Sound Subdivision Design

Sound subdivision design is based upon many factors involving the
location and environment of a tract of land, and its subsequent develop­
ment into lots and homes. A master plan will readily identify residential
areas and the surrounding land uses that will affect its growth and
stability. A residential area should not be proposed if adjacent to large
and heavy industry, a stream or river which frequently floods, a major
airport or a large rail terminal. These obviously are facilities which
can prove only detrimental to new residential use. Therefore, the
primary requirement in the planning of a subdivision must be to study
the neighboring uses and the overall environmental character of the area.
The integration of small unplanned areas into the larger self-sustaining
neighborhood is also a prerequisite to street layout or utility extension.
T he zoning ordinance and building code must be studied in order that
all stated minimum conditions are met. Consideration must be given to
the type and size of families that will occupy these homes and depend
upon the adjacent facilities, particularly schools, shopping centers and
transportation, which are a daily necessity.
 152

As for the area to be developed, the primary consideration is,

of course, the size and shape of the tract in question. Very small
tracts offer little opportunity for development along sound and stable
lines insofar as planning of facilities, development of street patterns,
and house locations are concerned. Larger tracts of 50-100 acres or
more provide an opportunity for real large-scale planning in which a
neighborhood is designed and built with the location of homes, schools,
parks, business and shopping centers, transportation facilities and
other public uses all grouped in the best relation to each other and form­
ing a well integrated community. The street pattern particularly can be
adjusted to fit the existing terrain and can provide pleasant home sites
on quiet and protected residential streets and culs-de-sac.
No two residential areas will be identical although the design of
such areas rests on identical features. Soil and subsoil conditions, ground
water and drainage suitable for interior circulation, and possible areas
for open spaces are studied before any designs are drawn.
In the preliminary design, provision must be made for community
facilities within or adjacent to the area. These include elementary and
sometimes junior high schools, community shopping centers, parks, play­
grounds, etc. Streets, walks, and pedestrain ways or easements must be
designed so as to provide maximum accessibility to the residents with
minimum interference to the neighborhood itself.
Area-wide or city-wide services must also be designed and provided
to best serve the residential community. These include water supply and
sanitary sewage disposal, storm water drainage, refuse collection, power
lines, gas mains and telephone lines, and fire and police protection. No
residential area should be designed or constructed without considerable
thought given to its relationship to regional shopping facilities, be they
central business district or outlying major shopping centers, high schools,
large-scale cultural and recreational activities and, of course, employment
centers where the residents may find adequate jobs.
After the local plan commission and city officials have given their
approval to the concept and design of a subdivision, accurate plans must
be drawn for the construction of highways, streets and alleys, for the
dedication of easements and other public uses, and for the extension
and construction of sanitary sewer lines, water mains and storm water
sewers.

Street Location
Let us now examine in some detail the basic requirements for sub­
division street layouts and their construction standards, as well as the
standards for public utilities.
 153

There is no single factor as important in community and subdivision

planning as that of street location. Alignment and continuity of existing
and proposed streets into new areas must be carefully planned well in
advance of any construction. No new subdivision or other development
should be served solely by high-speed, through-traffic arteries. Likewise,
no such area should be served solely by short, winding streets having
neither destination nor origin outside the development or with a major
traffic artery. Streets in such locations should be designed to minimize
traffic congestion. This may include rather extensive modification of
existing streets adjacent to or near the subdivision.
If the area is served by mass transit lines, then certainly provision
must be made for loading facilities, increased curb radius where right
turns are predominant, and ample space provided for parking and turning
around of such large equipment. In metropolitan areas or small town
developments there must be provided a continuous flow of traffic on at
least one street bordering or bisecting the tract which will connect the
downtown district and other principal traffic arteries. This continuous
flow of traffic is essential if people are to get back and forth to work,
shopping and recreational areas, and in turn they are necessary for the
maintenance of the modern home.
The continuous thoroughfare may be a cross-country super-highway
with an interchange at each of the important areas of activity within the
city and its environs. In some instances, particularly in larger metropoli­
tan districts, this is by far the most desirable means of vehicular travel.
This allows local traffic the privilege of merging with high-speed traffic
to cover long distances in short periods of time. W ith a comprehensive
and efficient network of expressways and super-highways, business cen­
ters and industrial districts are only a few moments away from isolated
residential districts. In the case of expressways the location of mass
transit facilities, whether they be elevated lines or high-speed street cars,
or trolley buses in the median strip, warrants every possible consideration.
As in the case of the new Congress Street Expressway in Chicago,
thousands of people can be carried in a rush hour to or from their jobs at
the same speed or even greater speed than vehicular traffic in adjoining
lanes. W ith the natural connecting links constructed over or under the
expressway this system can provide the ultimate in public transportation
with feeder buses and private autos delivering and picking up passengers
above, below, or next to rapid transit stations and in no way interfering
with expressway traffic.
Returning to the question of street traffic continuity, the major
street need not and certainly will not in most instances be an expressway
or super-highway. It may be a city street bisecting both business and
 154

residential areas which forms or connects to a state or feeder highway

at the outskirts of the city. It may be a city street that continues into
open country and is merely widened and improved as the extension of
residential or business activity necessitates.
Any street leading through the city or that is adjacent to the city’s
principal living and working areas must be considered as a major
thoroughfare. Almost as important as the continuity of the major street
within any development is the alignment of that street. Direct align­
ment providing maximum volume with minimum interference and con­
gestion is essential for the major thoroughfare servicing any large de­
velopment. Jogs, offsets, and sharp turns produce only congestion and a
“chopped-up” feeling for the entire community. On the other hand
interior streets should be neither straight nor continuous for long dis­
tances. A series of short curved streets following the terrain is much
more desirable than long straight streets laid out on a gridiron pattern.
The reasons for this are obvious. Traffic moves slowly and more
cautiously, giving maximum protection to residential areas, especially to
children. They give the area a much more individualistic appearance.
The savings gained by shorter distances and less grading mean the
builder can spend more money in the construction of houses and land­
scaping of lots. Also there are fewer feet of street to maintain.
Other important aspects of the major street system include design of
the street system so that all minor and collector streets enter major streets
at right angles or nearly so. Interior streets may intersect at less than
right angles so long as sight distances are adequate for 30-mile-per-hour
traffic. By using short curved streets heavy traffic is discouraged. This
in turn reduces the need for the leveling of streets beyond grades of
eight or even nine percent. This increase in allowable street grade re­
duces the cost of construction and can provide on its adjoining lots
exceptionally attractive home sites. The only additional expense incurred
in allowing the steeper grade is a few extra pounds of salt for winter
weather.

Super-highways
The design of the various streets and highways involved in sub­
division development can be defined in four general categories. The
first of these, of course, is the super-highway and expressway. I will
not go into the various design features involved in the construction of
such highways. T h at would take far more time than we have here today.
However, I will say a few words concerning the designs of the other
types of streets usually connected with development areas, be they used
residentially, commercially, recreationally, or industrially.
 155

The major streets, those with traffic continuity, good alignment,

and serving as collectors to the various areas of the community, should
have at least 100-foot rights-of-way. Pavement should be in the 36-to-48-
foot width range and may in some instances, particularly in major metro­
politan areas, consist of two 28-foot lanes with a median strip which, of
course, may vary from three or four feet up to 30 feet. These streets
are designed for high-speed, through traffic and are, of course, the ulti­
mate or utopian standard for a connecting thoroughfare. In most cases
such a standard can not be met. However, this fact should not discourage
any engineer from trying to obtain the widest and best pavement possible
for this type of street and based on local conditions. Parking should be
allowed only if practicable in relation to peak hour volumes, bus opera­
tion, and interference with commercial or industrial development.
Pavement width is determined by the number of moving traffic lanes
and parking lanes required to handle traffic in any development. Ten or
preferably 12 feet are needed for each moving traffic lane and eight feet
necessary for parking lanes.

Collector Streets
The third type of street involved in such a development is the
collector street. This street generally is so designed as to pick up short
local streets and culs-de-sac and carry this traffic through residential
areas to major thoroughfares. The right-of-way here should be 70 feet.
This will allow 32- or 36-foot pavement with adequate shoulders and
provide sufficient width for 5- or even 6-foot sidewalks and street tree
planting if desired. Collector streets such as this must be designed to
accommodate parking on both sides during daylight hours. Even with
garages and driveways and rigid night-time parking controls there will be
street parking in a varying degree throughout the night. This is partic­
ularly true if the area should build up with two-family or apartment
houses. These collector streets should be well paved and well lighted.
However, they should not become high-speed streets, encouraging com­
mercial traffic. Speed limits should be low enough and well enforced to
protect children and retain the residential atmosphere. Pavement for
major thoroughfares and collector streets should be Portland cement
concrete or equivalently rated bituminous surfaces on eight-inch crushed
stone base.

Local Streets, Culs-de-sac and Alleys

The fourth class of streets is the local street and cul-de-sac which
serve individual homes within the subdivision. These should be laid out
with 60- or 66- or, in some instances where the area is predominantly
 156

multi-family, even 70-foot rights-of-way. Pavement widths on such a

street should run 28 to 32 feet. Here again parking must be taken into
consideration and sidewalks should be provided at least on one side of
the street throughout the entire subdivision. Pavement need not be the
same as collector streets and major streets but it should be of non-skid
type with sufficient strength to carry the anticipated traffic load over
existing subsoil conditions.
Culs-de-sac should in most instances be limited to a distance of 500
to 700 feet, depending upon the terrain involved and relationship to the
overall street pattern. They should also be so designed as to be acceptable
to the F H A and VA underwriting authorities. The question of curb
radius on culs-de-sac has been a raging controversy for some time. It is
not practical to design a cul-de-sac with a short radius, then allow no
parking and trust to luck for circulation. On the other hand, if the
radius is too wide the purpose of the cul-de-sac is defeated and lots be­
come too narrow or too shallow. A radius of 70 feet will allow for park­
ing on the cul-de-sac, service by any truck common to residential areas,
and will allow some maneuverability to any fire department pumper.
Alleys are not now considered either necessary or desirable in any
single-family residential development. They are not particularly neces­
sary in row house developments. However, in some large apartment
house districts they should be provided as a means of interior access
and loading space, and should be at least 20 feet wide, well paved and
drained and lighted.
All streets within any subdivision should be lighted, and lighting
should be done in conformity with the city’s existing street light system
and in a manner so as to be harmonious with the overall character of
the neighborhood.
All streets within any subdivision should be named and signs pro­
vided at each intersection to identify each street. Here again the type and
location of street name signs should be done in conformity with the city
standards and of a type to match the character of the development. It
is also most important that, if the area being developed is outside the city
limits, street names be selected so as to provide a uniform pattern
throughout the area, or even better, throughout the county, to avoid
duplication of street names.

W ater Supply
T he provision of sanitary sewers and water mains is equally as
important as the street system in any subdivision or development. Ade­
quate water supply must be available whether the area be residential,
industrial or recreational. Sanitary sewer systems must be provided in
 157

any area regardless of its use except in instances where septic tanks are
allowed for large-lot residential building. A third important feature
involved here is that of storm water drainage. This may be done in a
number of ways. However, almost every development has some type of
surface water control problem.
Examining each of these three services in greater detail, we have
no question as to their importance. W ater lines should be extended from
existing trunk mains throughout the subdivision with ample fire hydrants
available and with sufficient capacity to take care of the maximum daily
demand of the residents. In the event that municipal or public water
systems are not readily available for extension into the development, wells
must be sunk to provide the necessary water supply. These should be
carefully checked by the state or county authorities to determine the
purity and hardness of the water. The location of any septic tanks, open
drains, or marshes should be carefully noted to avoid any chance of con­
tamination through seepage into the well or a surface flow into the
well.
The amount of water necessary for a normal residential develop­
ment should average about 150 gallons per person per day. Of course,
the average demand will not be seasonally equal and will not account for
all-night lawn sprinkling or exceptionally heavy fire-fighting require­
ments. The figure of 150 gallons per person per day, however, should
provide all necessary consumer usage plus sufficient water for fire-fighting
or other emergency use. Local conditions may vary consumption figures
considerably, and they should be studied in relation to proposed mains
at the time the development is first planned.
Sufficient capacity should be provided to handle not only all resi­
dential usage, but also to handle residential expansion, possible commer­
cial activity, and also school construction and expansion. This has been
a particularly difficult problem to handle in areas where small mains
have been extended well into residential neighborhoods and subsequent
schools and commercial districts have had to lay new mains over long
distances to insure sufficient capacities for their day-to-day usage.
There are a great many other facets to municipal water supply. The
type and exact amount of treatment required to purify and/or soften
the water will vary not only from city to city but may vary within
large cities. Conformity to .state and regional health standards must be
maintained and the increased use of fluoridation also presents a problem.
The distributing system for this water may be from storage reservoirs,
impounding reservoirs, or from municipal or private pumping stations.
W hat we are interested in primarily is the distribution system and the
location and design of this system.
 158

You are all familiar with the maze of pipes and mains which can
make up a large-scale water system. It has been in the past and is at
present the common practice to lay water lines under streets. On wide
streets or in large commercial districts it may prove safer and more
economical to install mains on each side of the street. Since the water is
under pressure at all times it will flow uphill, or downhill, or around
corners at all times, and thus readily adapts itself to proper design and
planning in any subdivision or development. Indeed, the savings on
water mains alone can be very substantial when the street system is de­
signed in conformity with the contours and the water system designed so
as to match the street lines.
W hile a subdivision designed on the basis of existing contours may
produce a larger number of dead-end pipes in the culs-de-sac, these will
not in most instances materially affect cost of installation or circulation.
The proper design of the water system just as the proper design of the
subdivision itself is a specialized task and one that must be tailor-made.
In some high-grade residential areas standpipes and elevated tanks may
not be permitted even as zoning variations. Thus, water main capacity
must be increased to offset the lack of water available.
T he planning agency, the engineer, and the developer should work
closely with each other and with the water supplier to insure adequate
water supply and proper design features to produce a good subdivision
plan.

Sanitary Sewer Systems

Septic tanks have been permitted and have worked satisfactorily in
sparsely populated, large-lotted developments. As the population den­
sity increases, the need for sanitary sewer systems becomes absolutely
necessary. Therefore, it is wise to require complete sanitary sewer systems
in the early stages of development in any area which is likely to build
up rapidly or on small lots. In rare instances it is not feasible at any time
to require or install sanitary sewer systems. In such cases lot sizes large
enough to prevent any difficulty arising from septic tanks should be
required. Depending upon the terrain and the subsoil conditions— as well
as the size of the area and its estimated density—lots should range from
20,000 to 60,000 square feet.
The great difficulty in correlating the design features of any large
subdivision arises principally in connection with the sewerage system.
Unlike water, sewage is never under pressure and consequently can flow
only downhill. This means that the street system must be so designed
as to allow a continuous downhill sewage flow. Even with the use of
booster pumping stations a general downhill flow must be maintained if
the sewage lines are to return to existing disposal plants. Since sewer
 159

lines, like water lines, are laid under the streets, the engineer as well as
the contractor and the sewerage facility engineer must check carefully
all sewer grades. On sidehill streets the sewer line must be placed on the
lower side to insure proper flow. The design of interior streets to allow
for normal sewage flow by following existing contours is one of the most
important aspects of subdivision design.
In instances of very large developments, on-site disposal systems
may be erected. There are usually very stringent requirements for the
type and location of such plants, and the plant must be designed to
produce the desired type of effluent without hazard or odors. Small
areas which cannot readily be served by sewer systems because of the
rough topography, rock outcrops or low elevations should be designated
as park areas or other open spaces with sewer lines placed on higher
ground. Special attention must be given the handling of sewerage systems
in areas of commercial and industrial activity and school sites. Main
capacities must be sufficient to handle expected total daily discharge
capacities without backing up the system.
Generally speaking, it is not wise to combine sanitary and storm
water sewage systems in one set of pipes. This necessitates the use of
larger and more costly pipe. In periods of dry weather with little or
no storm water, sewage often does not flow readily. There is also the
problem of greater installation costs and maintenance costs. A combined
system also greatly increases the overall amount of sewage that must be
treated at the disposal plant.
The use of separate systems means smaller sanitary sewer pipe
size which can result in substantial savings in several ways. The smaller
size pipe is easier to adapt to winding street systems, means less instal­
lation cost, and greatly reduced volume for treatment at the disposal
plant. The use of separate systems can provide a storm water course, the
advantage to which lies principally in the reduced cost of pipe, since
storm water run-off may be diverted into streams, rivers, or marsh areas.
It also makes possible the creation of park areas and open spaces by
preserving the areas of collection of the run-off.
If, however, separate systems are used, that portion of the storm
water drainage system carried in pipes must have sufficient capacity to
handle the average water run-off without flooding streets or basements.
While it is true that occasionally very large storms will overtax the
system, it has generally not been the practice to provide that capacity.
I would like to say a word about public utilities—the telephone and
electric wires that cross all of our cities. Good sound design now dictates
that utilities be carried underground. Overhead wires are unsightly, but
more than that they create a fire hazard, can easily cause interrupted
 160

service, and interfere with the growth of trees. However, if poles

must be included in any residential area, they should be placed in ease­
ments along the rear lot lines and all wires strung on one set of poles.
The use of underground utility lines will in the long run prove a sub­
stantial saving to the home owner, the public utilities, and the city.

Public Relations
In conclusion I would like to say a word about a very important
aspect of subdivision design which generally has been neglected. T hat
is the simple subject of public relations. There is hardly any one aspect
of subdivision design and planning which is more important and more
often neglected. The developer, the architect and the planner should
work hand in hand with the city or county engineer and the public utili­
ties people. Cooperation and mutual understanding must be inevitable
if the plan is to succeed. It can be made much more effective through
proper public relations techniques.
The architect, developer and planner should not adopt the attitude
that theirs is the only plan for any area. They must be willing to amend
their plans to local conditions, many of which they many not even be
aware of. On the other hand, the city or county engineer and the plan
commission should not take the stand that they will dictate all planning
activities. True, within certain broad areas they must have the right to
make fundamental decisions on street layout, sewer and water lines,
building minimums, but they should not try to design the subdivision’s
interior.
A close and cordial relationship between all members of this team,
whether they be on the builder’s side or the city’s side, will result in bet­
ter planning, more efficient public services and happier home owners.