Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 69

E. Development Pattern
Louisville’s development pattern can be broadly characterized into three zones radiating
outward from the Ohio River and downtown Louisville (See Figure III.E.1: Generalized Land Use
Map). The innermost zone, generally circumscribed by the Interstate 264 loop and the Ohio
River, is largely built out and contains the densest and oldest development in the City.
Louisville’s downtown is the hub of this zone. The second zone, from Interstate 264 to the loop
formed by the Gene Snyder Freeway, is characterized by a more suburban pattern of
development with vacant land interspersed among residential and industrial land uses
particularly in the outer part of the zone. The land use pattern of the outermost zone, from the
Gene Snyder Freeway to the City boundary, is distinguished by a more rural road network
supporting lower density residential development and significant tracts of vacant land.
Commercial uses in Louisville are concentrated in downtown Louisville and along major arterials
(such as Dixie Highway, Preston Highway, Bardstown Road, and Shelbyville Road) which radiate
outward from the hub.
According to a survey by Jefferson County DPDS, approximately 96,940 acres of land or
40 percent of the County was undeveloped in 1992¹². Of this total, approximately 56 percent
was characterized by development constraints such as shallow depth to bedrock, steep slopes,
hydric soil conditions, and/or susceptibility to flooding. Most of the remaining vacant land was
concentrated in outer Jefferson County, especially the Floyds Fork Drainage Area.
Facilitated by a readily available infrastructure of roads, sewer lines, and water lines,
development within the inner part of Louisville has experienced extensive residential,
commercial, and industrial growth. Vacant tracts of land are still found interspersed in the
predominant pattern of developed land uses, often in areas characterized by sensitive
environmental resources such as stream corridors and hydric soils. To date, this land use pattern
is less prevalent in the outer part of Louisville due to less extensive infrastructure (including
limited public sewer service in the Floyds Fork drainage area) and lesser demands for
development. However, growth pressures are increasing in this area as evidenced by the
suburban homes which have been constructed on large lots along many roadways in the past 30
years. On the other hand, there is also indication that this growth pattern has changed with the
increase in smaller households and more interest by millennials in living in a vibrant urban
environment and more demand for apartments.
Park and open space resources are part of the existing pattern of land use, affording
visual relief from the surrounding urban fabric, providing recreational and environmental
benefits, and helping to define neighborhood boundaries. Of particular significance is the
historic system of Olmsted-designed parks and parkways, which was originally conceived as an
interconnected open space network providing multiple recreational, environmental, and visual
benefits. As the last major park system Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. designed, Louisville’s Olmsted
parks are considered his most mature park system and area priceless open space resource for
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