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Puzzling planning problems? A window to solutions


If you have wondered whether, traffic problems, noise, foul air and risk of injury can be reduced or eliminated in neighbourhoods, this site will give you solutions to think about.

If you have pondered whether neighbourhoods can regain their tranquility, can be places for pedestrians to move freely, for neighbours to socialize and for kids to play, this site offers you ways to achieve these goals

Figure 1. Transformation of the grid

This video shows one of many transformations of the Grid that result in combining the attributes of the traditional grid with those of the conventional subdivision patterns. For more transformations see the Quadrants page.







Have you been puzzled about how transportation, land uses can be organized to work in synergistic ways to increase a district’s wealth, comfort and value? This site illustrates at least one way that this can be achieved. Straford Quadrants
Two quadrants of a master planned neighbourhood

What we seek and want in neighbourhoods
  • Residents of neighbourhoods seek places that would enhance quality of life at a cost they can afford.
  • Developers want satisfied customers and balanced books that enliven business.
  • Municipal officials want a healthy, thriving city and balanced budgets.
  • Planners want to create places for lasting enjoyment and kind to the earth.
To meet the aspirations of consumers, the objectives of developers and the ambitions of municipal leaders we need planning models that will achieve a balance between them. Solutions must deliver consistently on all the requirements of efficiency, economy, health, quality, profit and environmental sustainability.

It is all about the Fused Grid. A model for planning neighbourhoods, districts and towns that delivers on each of these requirements with a contemporary perspective.

Planning history has plenty of examples to borrow from, but few models. Most examples and the models they are based on predate the twentieth century, the century of global transportation and communications. Adaptations of the old models can work but up to a point. A new model is required that meets the quality of life objectives in the unprecedented transportation context where movement is effortless and time is the most valued commodity.

The fused grid represents the synthesis of two traditional North American approaches to residential neighborhood planning: the traditional, nineteenth-century grid, and the curvilinear pattern of looped streets and cul-de-sacs of modern suburbia. The goal of the fused grid is to provide a balance between vehicular and pedestrian movement, and to create safe, sociable streets and easy connectivity to community facilities. These attributes are achieved while retaining the land use and infrastructure advantages of conventional suburban plans, compared to the traditional grid.