Builders know: For suburbia to survive and thrive, higher density, connectivity and placemaking are vital

Aware of the crushing costs of continued sprawl, the ’burbs are embracing slightly higher density and giving rise to a new generation of urban villages and mini cities.

At last night's Trails Committee meeting, we began the process of putting in place a Complete Streets policy for Franklin, Wisconsin. In summary, Complete Streets are an effort -- adopted via resolution, policy, and ordinance in cities across the country -- to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone.

You will be reading a lot about Complete Streets in this space in the days and weeks ahead. Make no mistake: Complete Streets is first and foremost an economic development tool, as it is more important than ever to extract maximum value from our build environment.

This article from BUILDER MAGAZINE embraces the suburban context, but recognizes as well the economic importance of creating a connected community:

At the same time, schools aren’t the only draw luring die-hard urbanites to the suburbs. As one-time bedroom communities begin to sprout higher-density housing options (rental apartments, condos, lofts, and the like) around transit stops and mixed-use town squares, they’re beginning to feel more like urban villages themselves—places that have appeal for singles, empty-nesters, and DINKs [Dual Income, No Kids] just as much as families. This increasingly multi-nodal landscape, notes Joel Kotkin, a Distinguished Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University, marks the beginnings of what may be best described as “smart sprawl.”

That also means "retrofitting", when possible, existing structures:

Whereas the old suburban growth model was dead set on expansion in the manner of the Oklahoma Land Rush, new approaches are much more focused on redeveloping tired properties with strategic densification. “The truth is we’re not as built-out as we think we are,” Ellen Dunham-Jones, professor of architecture and urban planning at Georgia Institute of Technology, and co-author of the book, Retrofitting Suburbia, noted at a recent Urban Land Institute symposium on smart growth. The imperative now is to use land resources more economically.

Read the rest at: Beyond (and Above) Sprawl - Land, Attached Development, Infill Development - Builder Magazine

Comments

[Snohomish county real estate]

Complete Roads are an effort -- implemented via solution, insurance insurance plan, and law in places across the nation -- to develop street systems that are better, more livable, and pleasant to everyone.

[foam insulation]

This article holds the suv perspective, but identifies as well the economic significance of developing a linked community.

[Hugo @ Real Estate in Philippines]

Having streets especially well paved ones should be put on the top priority list. And yes, all that it needs is policy on the character of the streets so that road networks will be safer and welcoming to the traveling public and not just built for compliance purposes.

[Joseph Prieto]

Having a well-paved street is better and more pleasant to drive in compared to the bumpy streets. Thanks for sharing your post.

[Joseph Prieto]

@ quality and affordable housing in cebu