Rodríguez - Alternatives to sprawl

Alternatives to sprawl: New urbanism taking to streets
City and county planners like the high property values;
residents like the convenience

By Keith Rushing
www.dailypress.com

"...They (architects and developers) are trying to bring back an urban
America-bringing together some of the suburban elements we like,"
Rodriguez said, adding that the homes in these communities will
often have larger rooms and plenty of green space.  Although they
are an effort to create an urban environment, these new communities
are generally built in more suburban areas where large plots of land are available. In the past five
years, the number of new urbanist projects nationwide has increased at least 20 percent each year,
Rodríguez said.

In many cases, communities have altered zoning laws to allow for higher-density development and
stores and offices in the same area. Rodríguez said more than 40 states now have development
plans or codes that promote these neighborhoods. Because the communities encourage walking,
they're believed to have a lower impact on roads and traffic and demand fewer road-widening projects
and retention ponds.

"The bar is lowered because the impact is lower," Rodríguez said.

Cities and counties tend to like new urbanism because the developments attract upscale residents,
raising the value of housing.  "They have appreciated faster, which means they've been in short
supply," Rodríguez said. "Prices shoot up." The high property values have a downside, however.
The communities tend to lack economic and racial diversity, which is one of the goals of the new
urbanism movement, Rodríguez said.

"I think you're going to find that there's a major gap between what proponents of new urbanism would
like it to do and what they actually do," he said. "They tend to be upscale developments of
predominantly white residents."

To combat that problem, lawmakers have to create solutions that will create more economic and
racial diversity when these communities are being built, Rodríguez said.

Read the complete article...


	RELATED LINKS: Dr. Rodríguez Ozone Alert Daniel Rodriguez was a guest on WUNC's State of Things radio program Planning and Physical Activity @UNC Carolina Transportation Program Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Planning		Alternatives to sprawl: New urbanism taking to streets City and county planners like the high property values; residents like the convenience By Keith Rushing www.dailypress.com "...They (architects and developers) are trying to bring back an urban America-bringing together some of the suburban elements we like," Rodriguez said, adding that the homes in these communities will often have larger rooms and plenty of green space. Although they are an effort to create an urban environment, these new communities are generally built in more suburban areas where large plots of land are available. In the past five years, the number of new urbanist projects nationwide has increased at least 20 percent each year, Rodríguez said. In many cases, communities have altered zoning laws to allow for higher-density development and stores and offices in the same area. Rodríguez said more than 40 states now have development plans or codes that promote these neighborhoods. Because the communities encourage walking, they're believed to have a lower impact on roads and traffic and demand fewer road-widening projects and retention ponds. "The bar is lowered because the impact is lower," Rodríguez said. Cities and counties tend to like new urbanism because the developments attract upscale residents, raising the value of housing. "They have appreciated faster, which means they've been in short supply," Rodríguez said. "Prices shoot up." The high property values have a downside, however. The communities tend to lack economic and racial diversity, which is one of the goals of the new urbanism movement, Rodríguez said. "I think you're going to find that there's a major gap between what proponents of new urbanism would like it to do and what they actually do," he said. "They tend to be upscale developments of predominantly white residents." To combat that problem, lawmakers have to create solutions that will create more economic and racial diversity when these communities are being built, Rodríguez said. Read the complete article...