Subdivisions
Why do subdivisions, including those in Bridlemile, almost all typically look the way that they do?
Pedestrian Walkways
Bridlemile contains at least 52 sub-divisions. Most of them came into being after World War II.
Above: The Bridlewood subdivision curvilinear design and the Montmore subdivision loop design
What is a sub-division?
A typical sub-division is a plot of land, like a farm or an estate, that a land developer has purchased, upgraded with utilities and streets, and divided into lots, which are sold to individual home buyers.
"Subdivision" means the division of a lot, tract, or parcel of land into two or more lots, plats, sites, or other divisions of land for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of sale or of building development. It includes resubdivision and, when appropriate to the context, relates to the process of subdividing or to the land or territory subdivided.
Source: Subdivision (land) - Wikipedia
Typically, homes in a subdivision are mostly built around the same time, using similar construction techniques, of roughly similar design styles and are sold to buyers from similar socio-economic groups.
When did subdivisions become a “thing”?
The US government’s Standard City Planning Enabling Act (SCPEA) of 1928 set the stage for the control of private subdivision of land – and for planning commissions.
For more information:
Standard State Zoning Enabling Act and Standard City Planning Enabling Act
American Planning Association
The standard subdivision appearance is largely due to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) guidelines.
The Great Depression, starting in 1929 and extending into the 1930’s, slowed the market for residential and commercial real estate development. New housing starts declined by 92% from 1928 to 1934. Banks were reluctant to extend new mortgages in such a down and risky market.
Congress addressed this with the National Housing Act of 1934. That act set up the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which provided insurance for lenders. That, in turn, made mortgages safer investments for the banks. It also encouraged buyers by extending the mortgage time from as short as five years to 30 years and reducing the down payment required for buying a house from between 30% and 50% down to 20%.
The FHA strove to improve the safety of its mortgage insurance program by creating guidelines for developers of new housing subdivisions that dictated subdivisions be created of a high-quality level – and, thus, be relatively safe investments.
They set minimum standards for items like plumbing and foundations.
They also called for land use planning that focused on designing neighborhoods for cars, which in that time period were quickly gaining in popularity. Automobile planning included inclusion of curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs rather than the up-to-then popular grid-pattern street design. Curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs would slow down vehicle traffic in the center of the new subdivisions and so would reduce noise and improve safety by, among other things, reducing traffic to mainly local vehicles. Also, it would reduce street racing.
When was most of Bridlemile’s subdivision housing built?
As shown in the above bar chart, the boom in subdivisions mostly took place between about 1949 and 1982.
In 1946, developers started building homes in NW Bridlemile’s Orchard Park subdivision. They used a loop street design and were all or almost all one-story ranch-style homes with one or two car garages. Average size was 1,690 square feet. Average year built: 1948.
In the mid-1950’s, the Brookford (109 homes) and Doschdale (61 homes) developments, with curvilinear street designs, added more homes in south-east Bridlemile, south of SW Hamilton, west of Dosch Road, east of SW Shattuck and north of B-H Hwy. Many were located around Albert Kelly Park.
In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, the Bridlemile subdivision added 114 homes in NE Bridlemile and the Wilcox Estates subdivision added 149 residences in NW Bridlemile. They featured curvilinear streets, cul-de-sacs, and loops.
The 1960’s and later saw the Smoke Rise development with 65 homes in NW Bridlemile, north of SW Hamilton and west of SW Shattuck. They feature six cul-de-sacs and no easy through streets.
In the early 1970’s, Bridlemile continued to grow, especially with the Bridlewood (104 homes) and Montmore subdivisions (72 homes). The Bridlewood subdivision incorporated curvilinear street design, Montmore used a one large street loop design.
Into the 1980’s, as the amount of undeveloped land decreased, the number of homes in each subdivision also decreased.
While FHA-approved subdivision designs include streets designed to limit local vehicle traffic, they also call for pedestrian paths to let walkers to bypass the limited access roads and more easily reach outside destinations.
“A walkway is any type of defined space or pathway for use by a person traveling by foot or using a wheelchair.” Federal Highway Administration - Walkways
Bridlemile pedestrian pathways include:
1. The SW Julia Court pathway connects SW Julia Court and the rest of east-side Bridlemile (including Bridlemile school) a relatively safer to reach SW Shattuck Road near SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway. The associated pedestrian crossing at SW Shattuck Road also helps.
2. The SW Westdale to SW Tunnelwood pathway gives NE Bridlemile a walking route to Bridlemile school and neighbors in SE Bridlemile – and on to SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. However, it could use improvements to deal with land erosion.
3. The SW Stonebrook Drive pathway connects east Bridlemile and Hillsdale residents with Albert Kelly Park.
4. The SW Lowell Court to SW 48th Place pathway connects NW Bridlemile residents with Bridlemile School and east Bridlemile.
5. The SW Hamilton to SW Seymour pathway gives NW Bridlemile residents a safer alternative to SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway than walking on SW Hamilton and SW Shattuck. A spur path connects this path to the Hamilton Crest subdivision.
6 The SW 55th Place pathway connects NW Bridlemile (at SW 55th) with SW 54th Drive and from there people can walk on to SW Hamilton and Bridlemile school. (It could use a bridge to better facilitate walking across the resident creek.)
7. The SW Tunnelwood to SW Tunnelwood walkway in NE Bridlemile lets walkers stay on track despite a short break in the SW Tunnelwood roadway. Motorized vehicles wanting to continue on SW Tunnelwood have to take a several block long detour.
8. The SW WIndsor Court walkway on SW Windsor between SW 57th and SW 58th in NW Bridlemile lets walkers stay on track despite a short break between SW Winsor and SW 58th. Motorized vehicles wanting to go on SW Windsor from SW 57th to SW 58th have to take a long detour.