Comments Off on Fascinating article about why places like the Pike District are where people want to live over the next ten years
According to a new ULI report, Demographic Strategies for Real Estate, “surban” communities—suburban neighborhoods offering the most desired features of urban and suburban living—will attract the most households in the United States over the next ten years. (In case you missed the obvious conclusion because you haven’t had your morning coffee, the Pike District is a classic example of a “surban” community.)
“Surban” developments will replace shopping centers – More retail stores will be transformed into places that sell experiences, rather than goods, and more development will combine housing and retail to satisfy consumer demand for places that offer convenient, car-free shopping.…
Vibrant — it’s such an appealing word. We all want to live in neighborhoods that are vibrant — lively, stimulating, and friendly.
Vibrant centers attract educated millennials and empty nesters—as well as the economic activity they support. Office tenants prefer vibrant suburban centers to typical suburban office parks, and vibrant suburban centers command higher rents, lower vacancy rates, and greater absorption.…
Comments Off on National Building Museum’s Smart Growth Series
The National Building Museum downtown is a pretty fantastic resource. In addition to unique exhibits and a stellar kids’ play-area, they also host a variety of Speakers Series’ throughout the year. Next week, their focus will be on White Flint!
As part of the Smart Growth Series, I’ll be at the museum on Wednesday, February 5th from 12:30-1:30pm to share how the community is collaborating to ensure that a redeveloped White Flint reaches its potential. …
In past posts, we have focused on White Flint, and Montgomery County in general’s, efforts to attract younger generations to live, work, and play in the cities throughout the county. Though the younger, millenial generation is important for White Flint to draw in, it seems the aging baby boomer generation may find their place in White Flint’s new multifamily units and apartments first.…
Comments Off on What Do Americans Want Out of Their Neighborhoods?
The latest poll from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), released in late October, focused on Americans’ housing and community preferences. It seems that Americans prefer mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods over subdivisions that require driving as the main source of transportation when they have a choice.
The design of our cities and towns may have a major impact on our health and well-being. As diseases such as obesity and diabetes rise to epidemic levels in the United States, what strategies are both health professionals and community development practitioners using to combat these health concerns? How does urban design impact the levels of these diseases in the US?…
Comments Off on Five ways to design for safer streets
Earlier this month, NYC’s Department of Transportation released a major report, “Making Safer Streets” which outlines the various ways the department has re-imagined and redesigned their streets. The results include:
30% decline in fatalities since 2001
29% decline in people killed or severely injured since 2001
1,000 NYC lives have been saved by the decrease in traffic fatalities since 2001—including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, drivers, and passengers
The overarching aspect of safer streets is “[creating] the opportunity for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to move through the street network simply and easily, minimizing the unexpected, the confusing, and the potential for surprises.” More specifically, here are the five basic principles highlighted in the report:
Make the street easy to use by accommodating desire lines and minimizing the complexity of driving, walking, and biking, thus reducing crash risk by providing a direct, simple way to move through the street network.
Comments Off on Listen to local leader talk about the economic benefits of smart growth
Jim Bacon, author of the Virginia-based blog Bacon’s Rebellion looks at smart growth as an alternative to sprawl that is efficient, business-friendly and fiscally responsible.
Watch the full video below, and check out more about Jim Bacon and this video by visiting Smart Growth America’s website.
Comments Off on New report highlights the hidden costs of suburban sprawl
A report from a University of Ottawa research and policy network released last month reveals that suburban sprawl comes with a bigger price tag than many might expect. While (understandably) the report largely focuses on development in Canada, the big picture holds true for the U.S. as well. Author David Thompson notes in an interview that transportation is a major hidden cost; long commutes and needing more cars per household (and subsequently, the taxes to create the infrastructure to support these cars) is a huge expense.…
