Page 30 - Northville Township

How the automobile is accommodated is a key factor in
distinguishing character types including how public streets
are designed, how parking is provided and how buildings
and paved areas are arranged on sites. Among the three
major character classes:
– Rural character areas have wide open spaces where
structures and paved surfaces occupy only a minimal
portion of the landscape, or none at all in pristine or
preserved natural areas.
– Suburban character areas have noticeably less
intensive use of land than Urban character areas,
with open and green spaces balancing – or, in Estate
areas, exceeding – the extent of land covered by
Example proportions of Suburban Character elements structures and paved surfaces.
– Urban character areas exhibit the greatest pedestrian
orientation, through a more compact scale and
“architectural enclosure” of streets by buildings
situated close to front property lines and sidewalks.

Within the Urban class, Auto Urban character areas are a
particular planning challenge as they are designed mainly
to accommodate automobile circulation and parking.
Land cover by buildings and paved surfaces is similar to
Urban areas but without the walkability emphasis.
The community character approach can be applied to the
entire array of land use types, and regardless of whether
a site is in private ownership or owned and developed
by a government agency for public purposes. Examples
Example proportions of Auto Urban Character elements include:
– A single-family home situated on a relatively large lot,
with many mature trees and substantial separation
from neighboring homes (Suburban or Estate
character), versus a single-family bungalow on a
small, narrow lot with rear-alley access and minimal
yard space or vegetation (Urban neighborhood
character).
– Storefront shops and small cafes in a walkable,
neighborhood commercial setting (Urban character)
versus “big box” stores and associated pad-site
restaurants and retailers in a large-scale shopping
center with extensive surface parking and minimal
landscaping (Auto Urban character).
– A master-planned business park in a campus-like
Example proportions of Urban Character elements setting (Suburban character) versus an office building
on a site dominated by surface parking (Auto Urban
character) or a more vertical building in a downtown
setting with ground-level retail uses and a nearby
parking garage (Urban character).
– A public library, community center or neighborhood
park that is designed to be compatible with the

28 NORTHVILLE TOWNSHIP Master Plan