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When evaluating a site for potential development it is important to
consider functional proximity and land use patterns. Good land use
planning is not simply the grouping of all similar uses and
facilities together in clusters; it is the arrangement of compatible
activities in the most functionally effective and efficient manner.
Functional relationships describe the need various activities and
facilities have for mutual support. In planning, support can be
operational and/or physical. It relates the individual project to
the larger context of the installation. It also organizes the
activities and facilities within the project. For example, military
family housing areas, although shown as a single major land use
category, may also include a shopette, child care center,
recreational areas, and other complementary uses.
This practice is also known as ‘mixed-use development’ and is
critical to achieving desired levels of density that result in
sustainable benefits such as increased pedestrian circulation,
reduced vehicle use, reduced impermeable pavement and therefore
storm water runoff. The Air Force is embracing this development
pattern and it is expected that land use color patterns of the
future will present a mosaic of smaller areas rather than the large
color blocks of the past.
The potential site is preferred if the intended land use category
supports the effective and efficient arrangement of interrelated
facilities creating a desired level of density, takes advantage of
shared parking to reduce impervious surfaces and promotes pedestrian
circulation. Land use compatibility and site selection should also
consider and complement the current and projected mission of the
installation.
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