Problem
Exaggerated zoning laws separate industry from the rest of urban life completely, and contribute to the plastic unreality of sheltered residential neighborhoods.
Solution
Place industry in ribbons, between 200 and 500 feet wide, which form the boundaries between communities. Break these ribbons into long blocks, varying in area between 1 and 25 acres; and treat the edge of every ribbon as a place where people from nearby communities can benefit from the offshoots of the industrial activity.
Related Patterns
… in a city where work is decentralized by Scattered Work (9), the placing of industry is of particular importance since it usually needs a certain amount of concentration. Like Work Community (41), the industry can easily be placed to help in the formation of the larger boundaries between subcultures — Subculture Boundary (13).
Place the ribbons near enough to Ring Roads (17) so that trucks can pass directly from the ribbons to the ring road, without having to pass through any other intermediate areas. Develop the internal layout of the industrial ribbon like any other work community, though slightly more spread out — Work Community (41). Place the important buildings of each industry, the “heart” of the plant, toward the edge of the ribbon to form usable streets and outdoor space — Positive Outdoor Space (106), Building Fronts (122).
Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 227.