On Common Ground: Summer 2006

SUMMER 2006

NewNewUrbanismUrbanism

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Repopulating citiesWhere New Urbanism is headedTOD time is here

is Bloomingis Blooming

SUMMER 2006 ON COMMON GROUND 32 ON COMMON GROUND SUMMER 2006

For more information on NAR and Smart Growth, go to www.realtor.org/smartgrowth.

On Common Ground is published twice a year by the Government Affairs office of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), and is distributed free of charge. The publication presents a widerange of views on Smart Growth issues, with the goal of encouraging a dialogue among REALTORS®, electedofficials and other interested citizens. The opinions expressed in On Common Ground are those of the authorsand do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, itsmembers or affiliate organizations.

Editor: Joseph R. Molinaro, Manager, Smart Growth ProgramsNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

500 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001

Distribution: For more copies of this issue or to be placed on our mailing list for future issues of On Common Ground, please contact Ted Wright, NAR Government Affairs, at (202) 383-1206 or [email protected].

Perhaps the most valuable tool in the SmartGrowth toolkit is New Urbanism. WhileSmart Growth principles support higher den-

sity, mixed-use, walkable environments, NewUrbanism is proving to be the most successfulmethod for making these Smart Growth goalsachievable. New Urbanism is finding increasedacceptance in the marketplace and in the arena ofpublic favor—so necessary to achieve the govern-ment approvals and permits required to complete areal estate project.

New Urbanism is an urban design movementthat aims to reform urban planning and real estatedevelopment toward building more human-scaledand walkable communities. It is a reaction againstthe predominant development pattern of the mid-to late-20th century—low-density, generic devel-opment types that are separated by use and tiedtogether by roadways and parking lots. NewUrbanism is strongly influenced by the traditionalurban patterns that dominated up to the 1920s,although it modifies these patterns to address thecontemporary realities of the demand for largerhomes, the greater use of automobiles and large-scale retail formats.

New Urbanism also attempts to create areasthat are more appreciated and valued as special

places. For decades, in spite of all the good inten-tions for “quality development” and ”communitycharacter,” little attention has been given to whatthe new places we were building looked like andfelt like on the ground. Architectural historianVincent Scully has stressed the need to develop our“sense of the particular” in designing urban spaces,to develop “an infinity of particular images of par-ticular places, loved and specific.” The plans in thelatter half of the last century—with the most-usedplanning tools being the color-coded land-use map

and the legal language of zoning ordinances—didnot result in specific places that exhibited interestor beauty, or could be loved. New Urbanism hasbrought a renewed focus to the uniqueness thatmakes a place memorable.

New Urbanism is finding acceptance as moreconsumers are deciding that the particulars of aplace do matter and that the convenience andgreater vitality of a mixed-use, higher density,walkable neighborhood more than offsets sacrific-ing the large lot. Several trends—the increasedmarket acceptance of condominiums, smallerhousehold sizes, the desire to avoid traffic conges-tion and the interest in leading a healthier life with

more walkingbuilt into daily activities—point to an even greaterfuture demand for this type of real estate.

Local government officials increasingly areseeing New Urban development as a possiblesolution to the “growth wars” between developersand anti-growth activists, and the most direct pathto achieving the built-environment portion ofSmart Growth. And planners are creating newregulatory and consensus-building tools that canpromote the best designs. While New Urbanismrepresents a small portion of what is being builttoday, it promises to have a huge influence onwhat gets built over the next few decades.

LookingNew Urbanismto theFuture

with

On Common Ground


Summer 20066 Shaping the Landscape

The state of New Urbanism;where it’s been and where it’s going.by Brad Broberg

12 Now is the Time for TODsby John Van Gieson

18 New Life for the Old MallThe renewal of out-dated suburban malls into living town centers.by Heidi Johnson-Wright

24 Following the Path of New UrbanismInfill development boosts cities’ economy, character and appeal.by Jason Miller

30 Reflecting on TraditionsNew Urbanism is being used to build traditional neighborhoods.by Steve Wright

36 Getting the Codes RightForm-based codes may be the key to future community plans.by David Goldberg

42 The Affordability Equationby Jason Miller

48 Mississippi YearningBuilding back, better, on the Gulf Coast.by David Goldberg

54 Back to the Future of CitiesBuilding higher density or repopulatingexisting cities is the true New Urbanism.by Brad Broberg

60 Green is the Smart ChoiceNew Urbanism designs lead to self-sustainable and energy-efficient developments. by Christine Jordan Sexton

64 Smart Growth in the States

On Common Ground thanks the following contributors and organizations for photographs, illustrations and artist renderings reprintedin this issue: Battery Park City Authority; Dr. Jon Bell, Presbyterian College, Clinton SC; Dan Camp; Central Community Housing Trust,Urban Works Architecture and CharretteCenter; city of Pasadena and TrizecHahn Development; Cluts O’Brien Strother Architects;Congress for New Urbanism; Cooper Carry & Associates; Gale Communities; Shirley Gotelli; Seth Harry; Susan Henderson; JaimeCORREA and Associates; Kelley-Markham Architecture and Planning; Patrick Kelly; Kentlands Citizens Assembly; Steve Lawton;Master Properties; Mike McCaw, circlepix.com; McGough Development; Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, Minn.; Metro Transit, Minn.;Jason Miller; Mississippi Department of Tourism; Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Affairs; ScottMorris; Ray Peacock, REALTOR®, CENTURY 21 City Wide; Ron Pollard; Portland Development Commission; Gordon Price; Frank Ooms;Milt Rhodes, AICP; David Rusk; Seattle Housing Authority; Sandy Sorlien; Stan Ries Photography; Gary Sutto; and Whittaker Homes.

12Future Transit Needs

18 New Life for the Old Mall

48Mississippi Yearning

30Traditional Neighborhoods

24Infill Development

60Green is the Smart Choice

ShapingLandscapethe

By Brad Broberg


The state of New Urbanism; where it’s been andwhere it’s going.

Lattes and leisure suits tell a tale of two trends.One went from a novelty to a national habit. Theother—thank heaven—died in a disco inferno.

What do lattes and leisure suits have to do withNew Urbanism? All three faced—or are facing—thechallenge of gaining permanent mainstreamacceptance.

With two decades of progress in the books, NewUrbanism is no longer the novelty it once was. Thequestion is: On a scale of latte to leisure suit, wheredoes New Urbanism stand today?

“I think it’s here to stay,” said Chris Nelson, pro-fessor and director of Urban Affairs and Planning atVirginia Tech.

So does Robert Steuteville, editor of the NewUrban News. “The trend has been growing and it’sa sizable niche,” he said. “I definitely think it’smoving more into the mainstream and provingitself.”

Nelson has spent 20 years studying land-useplanning, growth management and urban develop-ment policy and served as a HUD consultant undertwo presidents.

When he looks into the future, he sees two pow-erful statistics roaring down the track that bodewell for New Urbanism. Number one, America isembarking on a building boom that will lastthrough 2030. Number two, the overwhelmingmajority of new households over the next 20 yearswill be childless. The first stat speaks to opportuni-ty. The second speaks to demand.

“A non-child household wants something …more than a suburban neighborhood,” said Nelson.“I think that’s where the market is headed.”

That’s not to say New Urban communities aren’tfamily friendly. They are. They’re just different—more diverse in form, function and appeal—thanthe subdivisions that have dominated the nation’snew housing market for the last 50 years.

Pursued as urban retrofit, suburban infill andgreenfield development, New Urbanism representsa return to the way many people used to live—anda vehicle to apply many of the principles of SmartGrowth. Advocates cite its potential to reduce auto-mobile use, create diverse housing and rein inurban sprawl as well as its support for historicpreservation, safe streets and green building.

Kentlands, a 352-acre community north ofWashington, D.C., is “a great example of NewUrbanism done right,” said Nelson. Founded in1988 in Gaithersburg, Md., Kentlands is home tomore than 5,000 people who enjoy a lifestyle fardifferent than most suburbanites.

Kentlands reflects most key features of NewUrbanism: Tree-lined streets form blocks interrupt-ed here and there by small parks. Some lots arenarrow, others more spacious. Houses are near

enough to the sidewalks that residents can greetpassersby from their front porches. With homespushed to the front, back yards become moreusable. Garages, served by alleys, are sited to therear. Civic buildings are sprinkled throughout theneighborhood and businesses can be reachedwithout leaving local streets. A wide range ofhousing types enables residents to find homes thatsuit each stage of their lives without leaving thecommunity. And everything—all needs of dailylife—is within walking distance.

Today, such communities account for just a frac-tion of the nation’s housing supply, but the door isopen for New Urbanism to break through in a bigway. According to a report prepared by Nelson andpublished by the Brookings Institute, approximate-ly half of the buildings in which Americans willlive, work and shop in 2030 will have been builtsince 2000—with most of the building boom con-sisting of residential construction.

Here’s another way to state that stat: Half of theplaces people will call home two decades fromnow don’t exist yet, creating a very big and veryblank canvas for New Urbanism to make a verybig splash. Nelson believes there’s every reason toexpect that will happen given the special appealof New Urbanism to a fast-growing segment of thepopulation—households without children.Between now and 2020, America will welcome26.9 million new households, said Nelson, with24.4 million of them being childless and morelikely to seek alternatives to the suburban statusquo.

It would be a mistake, however, to think NewUrbanism’s appeal is confined to any one marketsegment, said Kevin Klinkenberg, architect andprincipal with 180 Degrees Design Studio in

Kansas City. “The stereotype would be young sin-gles/couples and empty nesters, but we’ve foundin many, many places that is absolutely not thecase,” he said.

“Families with kids love New Urbanist proj-ects—more than anything because of the sense ofcommunity,” said Klinkenberg. “I honestly don’tthink it has any one niche appeal—other than topeople who are generally a bit more active andoutgoing.”

For the last five years, Klinkenberg and his firmhave focused exclusively on New Urban projectssuch as New Longview. Located on 260 acres of ahistoric former farm east of Kansas City, NewLongview’s 1,100 homes consist of a mix of apart-ments, town houses, cottages and large single-family dwellings featuring front porches, garagesin back and compact yards—all built in conjunc-tion with offices, shops, restaurants, an elemen-tary school and a network of parks and trails. In

Half of the placespeople will call hometwo decades from now don’t exist yet.

8 ON COMMON GROUND SUMMER 2006

You can have goodurban environments

where there is a goodrange of choices.

Kentlands, Maryland

San Diego, California

SUMMER 2006 ON COMMON GROUND 9

Bethesda, Maryland


addition, New Longview is preserving several ofthe original farm buildings and converting theminto new uses. Cattle and dairy barns, for example,will house offices and a former mansion will hostweddings and other special events.

“We specialize in New Urbanism because verysimply it’s what we enjoy doing and what we arepassionate about,” said Klinkenberg. “We’ve hadthat inclination for years. When the opportunitypresented itself via the marketplace to do this fulltime, we jumped on it. I personally couldn’t imag-ine doing anything else.”

More and more designers, builders, plannersand developers are beginning to shareKlinkenberg’s enthusiasm. “In general, NewUrbanism has gained considerable acceptancecompared to where we were 10 or 20 years ago,” hesaid. “Back then, people [suspected] there wouldbe a market for it. Now, the development communi-ty recognizes across the board that there is marketacceptance for it and that there is clearly ademand.”

On the other hand, existing land-use regulationsoften conflict with New Urbanism’s embrace of high-er densities and mixed uses. “The biggest problem wehave at this point is getting these projects approved …in a fashion that they’re not watered down,” saidKlinkenberg. “New Urbanism is a system of doingthings, and it works well as a system. But when youstart leaving out elements, it doesn’t work well.”

That’s not to say the elements haven’t evolved asdevelopers gain more experience with NewUrbanism. Take the retail component, for example.Developers have learned that town centers won’tprosper if they are insulated from traffic even ifpeople can easily walk to them. “The rules of retail-ing don’t change just because it’s a New Urbanismproject,” said Klinkenberg.

Still, it’s critical that developers of NewUrbanism resist straying too far from the formula,said Klinkenberg. Common mistakes include streetswith cul de sacs, oversized lots and the omission ofwalkable destinations such as stores, cafés andparks. “The advice we give people is don’t do it ifyou’re half-hearted,” said Klinkenberg. “The half-hearted ones are the ones that struggle. And that’sbecause buyers recognize it.”

Nelson agrees. “If developers get the designright in the beginning, the market will reward themin the long run,” he said. Their biggest challenge,said Nelson, involves creating a viable situation forretail. “A lot of these New Urban communities aretoo small to support large-scale retail and so peoplehave to drive to a shopping center,” he said. “Thathas not been figured out effectively in my view.”

If retail is New Urbanism’s biggest challenge,then transit-oriented development is its biggest

opportunity, said Nelson—provided potentialopposition can be overcome. “A lot of local govern-ments don’t want high-density around the sta-tions,” he said. “They want to maintain single-family homes with large lots.”

Steuteville said the biggest lesson NewUrbanists have learned is that “there is a tremen-dous amount of application for this idea. It seemsalmost endless.” Some people, he said, insist alldevelopment should occur in cities and if it doesn’t, then it’s urban sprawl. “The NewUrbanists have taken that and said it’s not thelocation, it’s the design,” he said.

Along with greater appreciation for NewUrbanism’s range of application has come greateracceptance that there is no single way to build aNew Urban community, said Steuteville. “Theidea has evolved over time to embrace the conceptof greater choice,” he said. “It’s not just aboutdensity. It’s about the urban form in general.”

While that may represent a slight paradigmshift, it provides necessary flexibility, saidSteuteville. “The density depends on what type ofproject you’re trying to build,” he said. “It makesno sense to have 100 residents per acre in a ham-let. What New Urbanists have found out is thatyou can have good urban environments wherethere is a good range of choices.”

Steuteville said New Urbanists have “expand-ed their toolkit and become better at tackling awhole range of problems.” For example, one oftheir biggest challenges involves creating towncenters with enough shopping options to keeppeople from driving elsewhere to meet their retailneeds—all without compromising their commit-

ment to traditional Main Street design. Inresponse, they are pioneering a concept thatwraps big box stores inside a cocoon of neighbor-hood retailers, said Steuteville.

Another challenge is to make New Urban com-munities more affordable. Right now, demandexceeds supply and prices reflect that, saidSteuteville. However, as more New Urban com-munities are developed, competition should tem-per prices, he said.

So should the ongoing spread of form-basedcodes, said John Norquist, president and CEO ofthe Congress for the New Urbanism. Rather thanforcing New Urbanists to spend time and moneyseeking variances to conventional zoning codes,form-based codes support construction of mixed-use neighborhoods by focusing more on the size,form and placement of buildings and less on sep-arating land uses (residential vs. commercial) andrestricting density (housing units per acre).

The advent of form-based codes reflects thestart of a fundamental shift away from the sprawl-promoting principles that have guided growth anddevelopment in this country for more than 50years, said Norquist. “The fact that builders don’thunger for separate-use zoning as much as theyused to means local governments are much lesslikely to keep it,” he said.

It also means that like the latte, New Urbanismis here to stay.

New Urbanism has gained considerable acceptancecompared to where we were 10 or 20 years ago.

Brad Broberg is a Seattle-based freelance writer specializ-ing in business and development issues. His work appearsregularly in the Puget Sound Business Journal and theSeattle Daily Journal of Commerce.

If developers getthe design rightin the beginning,the market willreward them inthe long run.



By John Van Gieson

NowTODs

is the timefor

NowTODs

is the timefor

Homebuyers are waitingin line for transit-orienteddevelopment

Homebuyers are waitingin line for transit-orienteddevelopment


The theory is, if you build high-density,mixed-use, transit-oriented developments(TODs) that are pedestrian friendly and

located close to mass transit stations, they will nat-urally seek out the development. The “they” areprimarily empty nesters and young professionalswho either don’t want a single-family suburbanhome lifestyle or can’t bear the thought of actuallyliving there.

They are seeking a lifestyle that features hous-ing, shopping, entertainment and recreation con-veniently located a short walk from the rail systemthat takes them to work, or to other destinations ifthey are retirees.

They won’t need a car or hopefully will forego asecond car, becoming heroes to Smart Growthadvocates in the fight against suburban sprawl,traffic congestion and pollution.

“Transit-oriented development is developmentwithin a half-mile of transit,” said Gloria Ohland, sen-ior editor of Reconnecting America’s Center forTransit-Oriented Development in Los Angeles. “It pro-vides the right mix of housing, shopping and recre-ation choices; it provides value for both the public andprivate sectors; and it creates a sense of place.”

TOD advocates cite five principles of real tran-sit-oriented development:

1. Location efficiency, a level of density that pro-motes walking, biking, using mass transit andgetting rid of a car or two;2. Increased transit ridership and less traffic;3. Rich mixes of uses and consumer choices;4. Value creation and value capture by both pri-vate and public sectors; and5. Creation of a sense of place.The story of mass transit in this country begins

with the older subway, “L” and commuter train sys-tems in New York, Chicago, Boston andPhiladelphia, some dating to the 1800s. A secondwave of transit systems developed roughly 30 yearsago in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Miami;and Atlanta. In the last decade or so mass transitsystems have triggered revitalization of underusedor blighted areas in places as diverse asMinneapolis, Denver, Portland, Dallas and San Diego.

TOD is booming—Ohland says about 100 citiesand regions are building or planning transit lines—but there are numerous pitfalls. Transit systems areexpensive—the new Hiawatha Line light rail sys-tem in Minneapolis costs more than $700 million—but the supply of federal funds to help pay for tran-sit has not kept up with the demand.

Other complications include outmoded zoningand parking codes that restrict developers andincrease costs; dealing with several regulatoryjurisdictions; convincing old-fashioned lenders toinvest their money in new ways of developingproperty; and opposition from neighbors who fearthat high-density, mixed-use developments willincrease their taxes, raise their housing costs orswamp their streets with traffic.

“It’s a huge issue,” Ohland said. “A lot of neigh-borhoods don’t want their neighborhoods tochange. In low-income neighborhoods they’re real-ly worried about rents being shoved up and hous-ing prices being shoved up.”

Pulte Homes, which is developing the $700 mil-lion MetroWest project south of the Vienna MetroOrange Line in the Northern Virginia suburbs,started with a good plan and the good will of localpoliticians but still had to make numerous changesto deal with issues raised by NIMBY (not in mybackyard) neighbors.

The opposition got so intense that the local con-gressman, Rep. Tom Davis, threatened to withholdfederal funding if the Washington AreaMetropolitan Transit Authority sold a 3.67 acretract adjacent to the Vienna station to Pulte. Thetransit authority sold the land to the developer, inspite of Davis’ opposition, and the Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors approved the project inMarch.

“From the time this project was submitted untilit was approved the project has become a muchbetter project,” said Jon Lindgren, land acquisi-tions manager for Pulte in the Vienna area.

MetroWest is a 56-acre community that willinclude 2,248 residences, 300,000 square feet ofoffice space and 100,000 square feet of retailspace. To acquire land for the project, Pultebought out the owners of the single-family homesthat once occupied the site. Construction is sched-uled to start next spring.

Changes that Pulte agreed to make includedreducing building heights, accelerating develop-ment of retail and office space, adding housing forretirees, and improving roads leading to the sta-tion, which sits in the median of Interstate 66.Pulte also agreed to pay up to $2 million in fines ifthe company fails to reduce by about 50 percentthe increased traffic the project will generate.

To encourage residents to ride the Metro, Pulteis planning to offer them free transit passes.

“The biggest worryfor the surroundingarea is the increase intraffic density, and it isalready a nightmaregetting into Washingtonduring the rush hours;note the plural, as thestaggered work dayproduces rush hours

spanning three hours, twice a day,” said AnneHarrington, a Fairfax County REALTOR®. “If thedevelopers do the same as they have done for theother Metro stops it will be good for the residents;they seem to provide a lively community for theyoung and often single population, who wantMetro access into the city and all the amenities oflife within steps of their condos/townhouses.”

Transit-related real estate investments arebooming in Minneapolis, which opened theHiawatha Line in 2004, 50 years and one weekafter the city closed its last streetcar line. The 12-mile line runs from downtown Minneapolis to theMinneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to theMall of America, the nation’s largest shoppingmall. Ridership, 7.8 million passengers in the firstfull year, has exceeded projections by 58 percent.

A 1999 market study of new housing units nearHiawatha Line stations projected demand for7,150 units by 2020. As of February 2006, morethan 5,400 units had been constructed or wereunder construction. The city of Minneapolis hadprocessed permits for 7,000 additional units by 2008.

Mark Garner, senior project coordinator for theMinneapolis Department of Community Planning,said 11 housing projects have been completedaround neighborhood stations with 10 othersunder construction. He said the projects offer amix of condos and rental units, with some provid-ing affordable housing.

Transit-oriented development providesthe right mix of housing, shopping and recreation choices.

TOD is breathing newlife into areas thathave been served bymass transit systems.

Under construction in Jersey City is the $4.8billion Liberty Harbor North, a 28-block projectdesigned by New Urbanist guru Andres Duany, aMiami architect. The project plan includes 6,338housing units along streets designed to look likeGreenwich Village, 775,000 square feet of retailspace, 4.6 million square feet of office space, a 1.1million square foot hotel and a 175,000 square footschool.

“This is the finest example of architecture andplanning Jersey City has ever seen,” PlanningDirector Bob Cotter told the Jersey CityReporter.com. “This is going to be one hell of adevelopment project.”

Two rail lines, the Chicago Transit AuthorityPurple Line and the Metra commuter line, run 290trains a day through Evanston. Most residents livewithin a short walk of transit and studies showthat 74 percent of riders there walk or ride theirbikes to the stations.

Despite its attractions, Evanston went into aneconomic tailspin in the latter part of the last cen-

tury, losing 6,000 of its 80,000 residents andimposing high taxes on those who remained.

In 1989, before there was much clamor aboutTOD, the city moved to revitalize itself by creatinga downtown plan that emphasized higher-densityresidential development around four rail stations.The city eased parking requirements and built atransportation center, a new library and a down-town research park.

Today, downtown Evanston is booming.Economic activity is up, and property taxes aredown. More than 2,500 new residences have beendeveloped, including a dozen downtown high-rises. A former Marshall Field department storehas been converted into 55 condos and 43,000square feet of commercial/retail space.

The TOD theory holds true, and the key is tokeep building because they are here and they areseeking the opportune lifestyle that TODs offer.

Meanwhile, a Center for Transportation-OrientedDevelopment study completed last year projecteddemand for new housing at 88,000 units along theHiawatha Line and a planned Northstar commuterline.

Nationally, according to a 2004 report by theCenter on Transit-Oriented Development, there is ahuge pent-up and growing demand for housing inwalking distance of transit stations. Called“Hidden in Plain Sight,” the study said there are3,341 transit stations now with 630 new ones likelyto be built by 2025, with 14 million people livingwithin a half-mile of transit stations.

“There will be potential to more than double theamount of housing in transit zones by 2025,” thestudy concluded.

If so, this would be a very good time to invest inTOD. Doubling the number of housing units neartransit stations would require building an averageof 2,100 units around each of the 3,971 current andfuture stations.

Bloomington Central Station, under develop-ment by the McGough Co. of St. Paul, Minn., is a43-acre, $700 million project featuring 1,000 con-dos, a large hotel, 1.25 million square feet of officeand commercial space. The first phase, twin,

glass-encased condo towers called Reflections, isscheduled to open during the summer of 2006.

McGough originally envisioned a different kindof project but changed course after a potentialinvestor told them they didn’t know what they weredoing. So they changed course, and McGoughplanners visited Portland, San Francisco,Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles to learn whatTOD was all about.

“We really immersed ourselves in the world oftransit-oriented development,” said Mark Fabel ofMcGough. “We had to. We were learning and col-laborating together with Bloomington. This is apublic-private partnership from every level.”

Bloomington Central Station is being built withthe assistance of $58.5 million in public financing.Fabel suggested that’s a good investment. He saidthe tax base at the site now is $40 million. In 15years it’s projected to be $700 million.

TOD is breathing new life into areas that havebeen served by mass transit systems for many yearsbut for various reasons had fallen into decay anddecline. Two of the best examples are the JerseyCity/Hoboken area, which offers spectacular viewsof Lower and Midtown Manhattan from its locationon the west bank of the Hudson River, andEvanston, Ill., a leafy, older, inner-ring suburb fac-ing Lake Michigan just over Chicago’s northernborder.

The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line, construct-ed largely on brownfields behind the glitteringoffice towers lining the river in Jersey City, openedin 2000. Since then more than 4,164 housing unitshave been built along the line and property valueshave doubled.

There is a huge pent-up and growing demand forhousing in walking distance of transit stations.

There will be potentialto more than doublethe amount of housing in transitzones by 2025.


John Van Gieson is a freelance writer based inTallahassee, Florida. He owns and runs Van GiesonMedia Relations, Inc.


Hoboken, New Jersey

Hiawatha Square in Minnesota

Reflections in Minneapolis, Minnesota


Where once there was an isolated, hulk of abuilding with many empty tenant spaces,there now sits appropriately-scaled, thriving

retail outlets. Where there had been a sea of asphalt sur-face parking, one finds attractive public spaces thatdraw people in and verdant streetscapes that makethem linger. Where visitors had been dependent on carsto take them to a moribund, traditional mall, there isnow a flourishing town center serviced by public transit.

Enclosed suburban malls—those places where dadbought a wrench at Sears, mom purchased a handbag atJCPenney and junior got a model airplane kit atMontgomery Ward—are frequently becoming a thing ofthe past. Taking their place are New Urbanism-flavoreddevelopments that offer a human-scale sense of placewith compatible mixed uses.

“All real estate is cyclical,” said Lee Sobel, leadauthor of “Greyfields into Goldfields: Dead MallsBecome Living Neighborhoods,” published by theCongress for New Urbanism.

NewLifefor the old Mall

The renewal of outdated suburban mallsinto living town centersBy Heidi Johnson-Wright



“There’s the initial honeymoon period, a hey-day, then changes in the market happen. Maybethere’s a point of stabilization, then possibly afalling on hard times,” said Sobel.

Malls are unique; they are typically the largestcommercial property in a town, county or city,Sobel points out. The approximately 1,700 mallsites nationwide range in size from 30 to 80 acresand sometimes even as much as 160 acres. Notmany other properties in a community offer thisamount of space for redevelopment.

Yet not all malls that fit this description are grey-fields. The term, according to Sobel’s book, “hint(s)at a sea of asphalt separating a regional or super-regional shopping mall from its town.” More

importantly, the termdenotes “economically obso-lescent malls … that offerlarge infill redevelopmentopportunities.”

“These types of greyfieldmalls are typically located atthe outer edge of a first tieror at the start of a second tiersuburb,” said Sobel.

While the mental image ofa care-worn mall whoseanchor stores have long agopulled out is disheartening,Sobel sees it as an “opportu-nity to give the communityan identity, to retain resi-dents and to bring back jobsand revenue.”

Successfully redevelopinga greyfield dovetails withprinciples listed in theCharter for the Congress ofNew Urbanism such as: com-munities designed to fosterpedestrian travel and transituse, spaces shaped by physi-cally defined and universallyaccessible public spaces andurban places framed by har-monious architecture andlandscape design.

City Center in Englewood, Colo., is a mixed-use,transit-oriented development that embodies suchNew Urbanist ideals. Previously the site of thefailed Cinderella City Mall, it features retail,offices, residential and civic functions integratedinto the surrounding neighborhood via an internalstreet grid and appropriately-scaled buildings.

“Englewood’s story is a winding road,” said BobSimpson, community development director for thecity of Englewood. “The city had been aware that

the mall was in decline but decided to let the mar-ketplace determine direction. “[It] had no directcontrol over the property although [it] did maintainownership of the property underneath the parkingstructure.”

As one of the first inner-ring suburbs of Denver,Englewood was pushing for lively retail develop-ment because its tax base was drying up.

Several years before the last Cinderella City ten-ant left in 1997, the city advertised a Request forProposals for redevelopment of the site. The pro-posals came back for big box retail developmentthat barely incorporated a light-rail station comingto the site.

That plan was scrapped. Eventually the cityacquired ownership of the property and reachedout to citizen groups, developers and planners andcame up with transit-oriented, mixed-use develop-ment for the old mall site.

“The development community did not believethat this product would be successful [so] the citystepped up to make it happen,” Simpson said of theskepticism about New Urbanist redevelopment.

Englewood contributed $18 million to the $38million project.

“We acted as master developer of the project[and] … created a not-for-profit development cor-poration,” said Simpson, explaining that the corpo-ration demolished the mall, completed environ-mental remediation and sold property to retail andhousing developers.

The nonprofit development corporation main-tains the property and acts much like a mall man-agement company.

Although it has some national chain big box retail, City Centeralso has smaller local businesses. The architecture and scalerespect the nearby neighborhood streets. Public art, including aninteractive fountain, adds a nice touch.

“Our goals were simple: long-term sustainability, mixed useincluding housing, civic, culture, retail, large merchandisers andtransit, and a ‘people place’,” Simpson said.

David Owen Tryba’s City Center master plan included a civiccenter which incorporated a relocated town hall and library. Theproject created a public realm with bridges from the rail stationleading down grand stairways to a series of public plazas.

This project incorporated NewUrbanist principles bycreating spaces with18 hours of use.

Enclosed suburban malls are frequently becoming a thing of thepast; taking their place are NewUrbanism-flavored developments.

Englewood, Colorado



“This project incorporated New Urbanist princi-ples by creating spaces with 18 hours of use. Andit’s different than other transit-oriented develop-ments because of the civic presence. The civicrealm is an anchor,” said Bill Moon, a principalwith David Owen Tryba Architects. “Previously,Englewood had no place to celebrate. It now haspublic plazas and green grass for concerts andevents.”

In Pasadena, Calif., the upscale Paseo Coloradoshopping and residential development is rooted inthe “City Beautiful” plan created during the 1920s.

It replaced Plaza Pasadena, a downtown mallthat failed to meet expectations since the time itopened in 1980. The flagging mall had hurt thecity’s revenue stream because California’s famedProposition 13 capped property tax rates, forcingmunicipalities to be more dependent on tax dollarsgenerated by retail.

Anticipating the need for redevelopment of themall site, the city of Pasadena worked with stake-holders to assemble a civic center plan in 1990 anda master plan in 1998.

“The task force developed a set of recommendedpublic improvement and descriptions for develop-ment opportunities, what the uses might be and theform of the buildings,” said Bill Trimble, a seniorplanner with the city, who conducted walking toursand had stakeholders taking pictures of good andbad civic design.

The consensus disliked a large asphalt plaza infront of city hall and it craved places to dine andattract people to the area. The initial proposal rec-ommended an entertainment, retail and diningcomplex without residential. It was revised toinclude about 400 housing units.

When built, Paseo Colorado reconnected thecity’s principle civic institutions: city hall, the civicauditorium and the public library. The projectstands out from other greyfield developments inthat it did not totally raze the old mall structure.Two levels of parking owned by the city under ablock area were maintained but renovated.

For municipalities looking to redevelop a grey-field site, Trimble advises looking at the big picture,a notion important to New Urbanist principlesadvocating publicly accessible areas and gatheringspaces.

“Think about the development of a district, notjust a project to be seen in isolation. And don’tassume what works in one spot works in another.We were dealing with a 19-year-old mall one blockfrom city hall that is part of a larger civic centerarea. The [City Beautiful] plan is unlike other plansbecause it integrated the civic and commercial,” hesaid.

Paseo is pure New Urbanism in that it lies with-in a quarter mile of two light-rail stations and is

serviced by multiple bus lines. It offers manyactivities of daily living within a walkable area.Architectural styles are linked together and thedevelopment respects the 1920s plan.

In Chesterfield County, Va., Tom Jacobson,director of Revitalization for the county’sCommunity Development Department, is tryingto use New Urbanism to turn the moribundCloverleaf Mall and surrounding undevelopedlands into a successful redevelopment.

The mall was built in 1974 in suburbanRichmond at a freeway interchange. It was athree-anchor, T-shaped enclosed mall that wasvery successful for years, serving much of south-ern Virginia. Then two additional shopping cen-ters were built nearby and began competing withCloverleaf. Signs of obvious decline began in themid-1990s. Today only 27 merchants—some ofwhich are kiosks—out of a previous 70 remain.The food court, two sit-down restaurants andmovie theater are all closed.

“One can make wonderful observationsthrough hindsight. The mall owner had severalopportunities to expand the mall and didn’t,” saidJacobson.

“In 1998, the county did a comprehensive planand market study. The centrally-located site metplanning criteria for a regional, mixed-use nodethat would include commercial, offices and resi-dential uses. This was a typical commercial corri-dor built in the 1970s. Not the best period inAmerican architecture or planning,” he said,referring to the piecemeal commercial develop-ment along the corridor, with residential develop-ments scattered to the west.

Chesterfield County adopted a plan for revital-izing the corridor, whose anchor is clearly themall. The county met with the mall owner, whowent into bankruptcy, and the mall came into thepossession of a Canadian bank with no develop-ment expertise or interest.

“It was clear the county needed to be proactivebecause the private sector just couldn’t make ithappen. The county needed to partner with adeveloper,“ said Jacobson, who worked with localstakeholders and a consultant to update a marketstudy for the site.

The preliminary drawings include formalparks, boulevarded streets and linear pedestrianand bike-friendly greenway spaces. Chesterfieldalso is considering tax increment financing andfinancial incentives to partner with developers.

“We are looking at a town center concept withcondos and apartments over first-floor retail, high-er density residential and small-lot single family,all with elements of walkability. Other similarprojects have been done elsewhere in the countyto great success,” said Jacobson.

There is strong support for the economic devel-opment side and less support for the residentialelements because of concern about the higherdensity. The county is working with a strongstakeholders’ group to educate them that addition-al housing means support for stores and offices.

“The secret is to get the private interests toreinvest in their businesses and residents toimprove their homes and properties,” he said. “Ifeel confident. I think it’s going to work.”

So with these successful examples, it appearsold suburban malls can indeed become thrivingpeople centers using the New Urbanist touch.

Heidi Johnson-Wright frequently writes about SmartGrowth and sustainable communities. She and her husband live in a restored historic home in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana. Contact her at: [email protected].

Our goals were simple: long-term sustainability ...and a people place.


Old suburban malls can indeedbecome thriving people centers.

Pasadena, California

The popularity of infill development and redevelopment—building onvacant lots or razing dilapidated properties and building new—hasgrown rapidly over the past decade as buildable land becomes more

scarce in the nation’s urban centers. Today, after decades of decline and pop-ulation loss following World War II, virtually every city of size in the U.S. ispursuing some form of infill development, whether it’s a small-scale, single-building project or reclaiming a 400-acre brownfield site.

Despite the challenges that confront infill developers—economic realities,ecological contamination, and conventional zoning codes, to name a few—infill success stories abound. Communities are changing their codes, devel-oping public and private partnerships, and leveling the regulatory playingfield to revive and rejuvenate their built environments. The locals are notic-ing the changes, and are coming back in droves as citizens of communitiesborn of Smart Growth principles and built on New Urbanist design.

Delivering an identityIn Hercules, Calif., 16 miles north of Oakland, a 400-acre brownfield site

nestled into San Pablo Bay has been transformed into a series of threesought-after, mixed-use neighborhoods. The neighborhoods—the WaterfrontDistrict, Central Neighborhood and New Town Center Neighborhood, lie onland formerly occupied by the Hercules Powder Company, a dynamite man-ufacturer that opened its doors in 1881 and closed them in the 1960s.

In part because of the cleanup costs associated with dynamite powdercontamination, and unstable bay mud 30 to 70 feet below the ground, thesite—which was one of the largest undeveloped parcels of bayside land inthe region—lay untouched until the late 1990s, when the city began to eyeit as a possible infill opportunity. Responding to residents’ desire for a towncenter, the Hercules Planning Commission and City Council commissioneda form-based code to allow a traditional urban fabric. Called the CentralHercules Plan, the new code is delivering what conventional zoning codesnever could, says Stephen Lawton, community development director for thecity of Hercules.

“The town coalesced around the Central Hercules Plan because the citi-zens wanted to have a place called Hercules. They looked to their govern-ment and said ‘We’re going to have a place here, not faceless sprawl.’ Thatplan and the way in which it was developed was the biggest breakthroughhere. It was the first form-based code adopted by a California municipality.”

Nearing completion, the new neighborhoods in Hercules are just oneexample of the de-industrialization taking place in this bedroom communityof 23,000. The neighborhoods offer single-family homes with alley-loadedgarages (some built in pairs as “attached duets”), mixed-use buildings,

Infill development boosts cities’economy, character and appeal

By Jason Miller

24 ON COMMON GROUND SUMMER 2006 SUMMER 2006 ON COMMON GROUND 25

surrounding San Francisco area, there is so littleland yet available for development. The response,therefore, should be to conserve the land, saysBalico, encouraging REALTORS® interested inselling infill development to work with all comersto address the challenges.

“Start by working with your city to developpublic/private partnership programs. Tax incre-ment financing can provide incentives for devel-opers to take on infill projects. In California, aredevelopment agency can help to provide finan-cial assistance, too. In the end, cities have achoice: They can help a developer make his num-bers work, or they can refuse and end up staringat dilapidated properties for decades.”

When a partnership is formed, value rises frompreviously underutilized land. With price pointsfrom $604,990 to $692,990, John Laing Homes—one of several builders in the Hercules infill site—draws local buyers primarily, especially those whowant a brand-new home that is priced competi-tively with the resale market. But it isn’t simplythe individual houses that drive potential buyers’interest.

Once an infill project begins to take shape, sellto its strengths, counsels Christine MacIntosh, aREALTOR® with John Laing Homes. “We’re posi-

tioning our development as a transit village, a pedestrian community, a place where you meetand know your neighbors.

“Both property values and prices have gone upas Hercules matures. But the credit belongs to thecity of Hercules because of their great planningfor what they want Hercules to be 10 to 15 yearsfrom now.”

Smaller is betterThe Cotton District, in Starkville, Miss., proves

that sometimes six square blocks is all you need toachieve perfection. Developer Dan Camp, whobecame mayor of Starkville in 2005, has beenworking wonders in the Cotton District for almostfour decades. Early on, when the land was cheap-er, he began buying dilapidated buildings andempty lots, and transforming them into low-costrental housing for students from Mississippi StateUniversity, which borders the site. And eventhough the lots today sell for significantly morethan they did almost 40 years ago, Camp continuesto create beautiful and affordable small homes andrental units without any government subsidies.

In 1926, the Cotton District began to take shapewhen a local family built a cotton mill nearby andfilled the neighborhood with tenant housing for


live/work units, shops and restaurants, and a cor-ner drugstore. True to its word, the city is guidingthe development to support the town center,grounding Hercules among the surrounding citiesand towns in Contra Costa County.

“We’re delivering a heart for Hercules,” saysLawton. “We’ll have an urban town square in a sub-urban location, a place where people can gatherand meet their neighbors, and a place that feelslike a center—because it is. That will add valueover the years, and give Hercules an identity.”

Property values in Hercules since infill construc-tion began have already risen to the tune of 100percent, although part of that immediate increaseis probably driven by regional growth, says Lawton,pointing out that Hercules already ranks as one ofthe top two cities in California for property valueincreases in new and existing houses.

“Some portion of that initial increase is due to theplan—and Hercules is a very nice place to be—but Ithink its strength will be seen in its longevity. As thetrees and buildings mature, real estate economistsyears from now will probably say this area has held

and increasedits value morethan nearbyconvent ionalsuburban devel-opments.”

In the com-ing decades,Hercules will

owe part of its attraction to the urban conveniencesthat already exist and are planned for the nearterm. Within the next two years, residents will leavetheir front doors and walk to shops or restaurantswithin minutes. In 2007, a Capitol Corridor rail sta-tion will provide access to an existing rail servicethat runs from Sacramento to San José. A ferry ter-minal for the San Francisco Bay Water TransitSystem is currently in the planning process. A busroute also is planned, completing a trio of motor-ized transportation options.

The components of transportation, housingoptions and a walkable town plan with a recogniz-able center adds up to a genuine result, saysLawton. “We’re creating a community here—not aseries of distinctly branded subdivisions behindwalls.”

Ed Balico, a REALTOR® and Hercules coun-cilmember, is about to move his business, HerculesWaterfront Properties Inc., to a more suitable loca-tion: the Waterfront District. It’s a good fit becauseit shows support for the community and the redevel-opment effort, says the 21-year Hercules resident.

“Not many peopleembrace infill develop-ment, because it’s hard torezone it, and often coop-eration from the landown-ers is tough to come by.Most potential infill prop-erties are dilapidated orotherwise in decline. It’s alot of work, yes, but yourreward is a very lucrativebusiness.

“In 1991, a square footof land in Hercules ranbetween 10 and 50 cents.Today, that same squarefoot is $20.”

For Balico, infill devel-opment is the wisest wayto use land, since, espe-cially in Hercules and the


We’re positioning our development as a transit village, a pedestrian community, a place where

you meet and know your neighbors.

Residents chose to stay and become a part

of the new emergingneighborhood.

Hercules, California

Cotton District, Starkville, Mississippi

going to bring in evening music, develop someambience and draw crowds that spill into thestreet. We’re creating a place that didn’t existbefore.”

As for market appeal, Camp points to the high-end elements found in his creations, many ofwhich boast products and custom millwork oftennot found in $250,000 houses. Even though mostof Camp’s properties are rentals, he fills many ofthem with cast-iron tubs, ceramic tile, pedestallavatories, eight-foot Spanish cedar entrancedoors, real stucco and the aforementioned mill-work, in which he takes special pride.

“The drawback to these properties is thatthey’re small: two beds, two baths and 750 squarefeet,” Camp concedes, “but I know I could sellthem for between $200 and $300 per square foot.We’re putting in condos in May 2006 that will sell

for between $250 and $400 per square foot. Theseproperties are popular because of their dignifieddesign and their high-end touches … and becausethey’re part of the Cotton District, a neighborhoodthat is greater than the sum of its parts—howeversmall those parts are.”

the mill workers. The houses were small, shoe-horned onto 25 by 100-foot lots. In its heyday, thecommunity boasted schools, shops, churches andrail facilities, but when the mill scaled back in theearly 1950s and finally stopped production in 1964,most of the housing languished and fell into disre-pair. When urban renewal lines were drawn, someof that housing was left out of the redevelopmentplans.

Camp started buying land in the Cotton Districtin 1969, tearing down or restoring buildings asnecessary. He started with small townhouses mod-eled after those he’d seen in Alexandria, Va.,Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans. He placedsmall rental units on irregular lots and became afixture at the town’s planning commission meet-ings, where he regularly asked for relaxed squarefootage requirements for the lots.

With each variance he received, Camp increasedthe neighborhood’s value, diversity, character andbeauty. Over the years, he has built mixed-usebuildings with commercial uses on the groundfloors and student apartments above, plus 135 cot-tages, fourplexes, sixplexes—all adding up to morethan 200 individual units.

Every property is within walking distance of theuniversity and downtown Starkville, and almostevery property is a study in eclectic traditionalarchitecture using New Urban principles.Seemingly out-of-place ornamentation shares thesame block with statuary influenced by Greek arti-sans. Camp bends the rules—some would saybreaks them—just enough to make things interest-ing. Even his streets seem homespun, with no stan-

dard pavement, curb detail or dimension appliedthroughout. “I designed my streets based onwhether my elderly mother could navigate them inher big car,” says Camp.

Nobody seems to be complaining about theoverall results, says Camp, even though the densi-ty levels in some sections of the Cotton Districthover around 50 dwelling units per acre. “Evenwith all this redevelopment, we have residents whocontinue to live in the area. They did not sell; theychose to stay and become a part of the new emerg-ing neighborhood.”

As mayor, Camp has simply expanded his visionto the whole of Starkville, including the introduc-tion of a joint transportation system between theuniversity and the city in fall 2006, designed tomake the city more pedestrian friendly. “We’re cre-ating bike paths and walking paths, trying toemphasize that Starkville is a ‘walking’ city.”

Camp’s goal is to build up—not out. He and hiscity planner are currently working on a compre-hensive plan for Starkville, gearing up for a “greatexplosion” of buildings to be built in the comingyears, including five-story, mixed-use structureswith commercial uses on the ground floor and liv-ing units above. After a visit to Belgium in 2004, thecolorful and impressionable Camp returned to theCotton District and began work on a new street, theplayfully named Rue de Grande Fromage (“Streetof the Big Cheese”). Here, he’s started to buildsmall retail buildings with 350-sq.-ft. shops atstreet level and apartments above.

“The first business to set up shop on the GrandeFromage was a tamale bar,” says Camp. “We’re

We’ll have an urban town square in a suburbanlocation, a place where people can gather andmeet their neighbors.

The Cotton District isa neighborhood that is

greater than the sumof its parts.

Jason Miller is a freelance writer, editor and publishingconsultant based in Concrete, Washington.


Dan Camp (above right) discusses the Cotton District development.

Cotton District


New Urbanism is being used to build traditional neighborhoods


By Steve Wright

Grandview Commons in Madison, Wisconsin

on Traditionson Traditions

New Urbanism is being used to build traditional neighborhoods


When Don B. Smithson shares his enthusi-asm about New Urbanism, he speaks fromthe voice of experience.

When the principal of Wood Ridge InvestmentProperties advocates for Traditional NeighborhoodDevelopment (TND), he cannot be dismissed as a“right out of college” idealist or some “not in touchwith the real world” academic iconoclast.

“My family has been in the building and devel-oping business for over 50 years,” said Smithson.“We have seen many changes in our industry overthose years. Those changes pale in comparison tothe changes that New Urban development has andwill give to our way of living.”

“Over the last 60 years, we have segregated our-selves,” said the developer of Carothers Crossing—a 700-acre, 3,000-unit community 14 miles fromdowntown Nashville. “Sprawl has dictated wherewe should live, based on our social and economicstatus. As a New Urbanist, this practice is unac-ceptable. I can’t tell you in words how exciting it isto see a $150,000 home not only co-exist but excelwith a $750,000 home.”

“Affordability is always an issue and our modelallows us to continually re-adjust our thresholdproduct to maintain a consistent ‘floor’ to our pric-ing, while still allowing us to expand the envelopeat the top of the price spectrum,” Smithson said ofthe TND dynamic that allows for a consistent mix ofincomes and housing types in the same community.

Carothers Crossing’s architect Seth Harry saidbecause the development is being built compactly,as a TND should, 60 percent of the total acreagehas been preserved and can be rehabilitated as anatural habitat.

It also features TND principals such as beingdeveloped as a walkable, mixed-use communitywith a locally based commercial district that servesneighborhood and community needs.

“We’d like to see Carothers become a focal pointaround which a real sense of community can coa-lesce, while setting a standard and precedent forall future development in the immediate area.”

Harry, one of the pre-eminent town planners inNew Urbanism, said more and more developers are choosing TNDs as the best way to develop newtowns out of greenfields.

“From the developer’s perspective, buildingcompact, mixed-use projects affords a more diverseand flexible range of product types to offer in themarketplace—improving sales velocity and marketresponsiveness,” Harry said. “[TND offers] areduced reliance upon the automobile in servingdaily needs, which is not only appealing in anincreasingly congested landscape, but also helpsexpand the market appeal at both ends of the life-cycle spectrum—the very young and the very old.[New Urbanism] highlights the financial benefits ofworking with a diverse portfolio of building typesand revenue opportunities, to help mitigate riskand enhance long-term return on investment.“

Harry credited the city of Nashville for stream-lining TND projects. He said thanks to Nashvilletearing down barriers to traditional projects,Carothers had all its zoning in place a mere 180days after a public charrette held to design it.

“We have worked on ensuring that our regula-tions—zoning code, subdivision regulations,building code, safety standards—don’t limit theability to create sustainable growth. Removing thebarriers to innovative infill and compact, walka-ble, greenfield development is as important, if notmore important, as offering incentives,” said RickBernhardt, executive director of Nashville’s MetroPlanning Department.

Bernhardt said for government, New Urbanismis attractive because it encourages efficient use ofland and fiscal resources while creating a qualityliving environment.

“I find New Urbanism attractive because of thequality of the community it creates,” he said.“Fifty years of conventional suburban develop-ment has demonstrated that the built environmentimpacts our interactions in our community. Withsprawling development we spend more time jour-neying and less time enjoying the destination.

With New Urbanism you have a complete commu-nity to live, work and play.”

In the Hurricane Katrina-devastated GulfCoasts, teams of New Urbanists have worked withcitizens and government to create TND plans thatwill enhance the quality of life when towns arerebuilt.

“The city of D’Iberville has taken the determi-nation to achieve grandiosity for itself, its citizensand anyone interested in its development. In spiteof their general state of emergency, the city ofD’Iberville has had the courage to dream: with arenewed downtown in which order, beauty andurban harmony are its basic principles,” saidJaime Correa, the architect of the Mississippicity’s rebuilding plan.

Correa has nothing but praise for D’Iberville’s“resilient people taking the courageous decision”to rebuild their city’s physical structure with urbanspaces that have order, human dimension, a bal-anced mix of land uses for the enjoyment and serv-ice of the community; places where pedestriansfeel at home and where building types are localand built with an understanding of their culturaland geographic limitations.

Building compact,mixed-use projectsaffords a more diverseand flexible range of product types to offerin the marketplace.

We’d like to seeCarothers become a focal

point around which areal sense of community

can coalesce.


North New Town Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri


Michael Diaz, a graduate student at New YorkUniversity’s Real Estate Institute worked withCorrea in the Gulf Coast and predicts that TNDswill help the ravaged region in its redevelopment,renovation and economic repositioning.

“The development practices of TraditionalNeighborhood Development or ‘New Urbanism’ uti-lizes creative solutions to maximize land use, buildstrong communities and provide mixed-use econom-ic prosperity. The proposed D’Iberville project willrevitalize the area from an economic standpointthrough a variety of new businesses and establish-ment of community investment,” Diaz said.

“Furthermore, provided D’Iberville’s location tothe region, the proposed development will act as astronghold for future development and growth,” headded. “With the large scale nature of this project,TND is a creative plan that should revitalize thearea and supply a foundation for the future.”

In Mississippi’s Hancock County, the NewUrbanist firm Dover, Kohl & Partners was alreadyworking on a huge TND east of NASA’s StennisSpace Center before Katrina hit. Because so manyhouses were lost in the area, the firm is workingeven faster with developer Stennis Technology ParkInc. to get site work underway so new homes canbe built in the New Town of Stennis.

“In 20 years when the site has matured, I wouldhope that the town has several vibrant neighbor-

hoods with a downtown as interesting and enjoy-able as [nearby] Bay St. Louis,” said Dover KohlProject Director Milt Rhodes. “My hope is that theoriginal purpose of the site, a technology zonedeveloped to support efforts at the nearby StennisSpace Center, would be operating in a way thatpulls in new businesses and employees and createsa new hot-bed for creative thinking.”

The New Town of Stennis covers more than2,000 acres that will become at least seven distinctneighborhoods with a mix of housing, retail, office,civic sites, preserved land and more—all servingthe technology center.

“The site’s proximity to a rich coastal cultureand great environmental amenities establishes along-term community that will over time become alocation to be known worldwide,” Rhodes added.“The Technology Quarter will be within walkingdistance of more than 50 percent of the housingand the town center will be nearby—providing walkable access for more than 75 percent of theresidents within the new town.”

In the Midwest, Veridian Homes is buildingGrandview Commons, a TND just 15 minutes fromMadison, Wisconsin’s downtown. Veridian is soconfident that New Urbanism will sell, that itsadvertisements for Grandview Commons focus onmore than the typical marketing of price point,number of bedrooms and garage spaces.

The advertisements and marketing play up the benefits of Traditional NeighborhoodDevelopment and New Urbanism concepts, know-ing this strongly appeals to potential homebuyers.Features that are highlighted include:

• A diversity of architecture;• Homes with recessed garages and welcoming

front porches;• Parks interspersed throughout the neighbor-

hood with gazebos, waterfountains and plen-ty of open space;

• Pedestrian-friendly features like wide side-walks and walkable distances to parks andretail establishments;

• A town center with retail shops like a localmarket and bank; and

• Traffic calming measures like narrow streetsand street interconnectivity.

“When Grandview Commons was proposed …ironically, it faced a much more difficult entitle-ment process than standard ‘sprawl’ developmentfaces,” said Brian Munson, principal designer forVandewalle & Associates, the master planner ofthe development. Alderman Ken Golden, a plan-ning commission member, stated at the approval‘Why do we make it so difficult for developers tobuild what we tell them we want them to build,and why is it so easy to build what we don’t?’ ToMadison’s credit, they have taken this to heartand implemented a series of zoning districts tofacilitate TND.

Veridian President David Simon said his com-pany educates buyers, builders, city officials andothers about TNDs by hosting “Urban Tours”—bus rides through Veridian’s traditional neighbor-hoods to discuss the merits of TNDs.

The Grandview Commons TND developer alsohosts talks, panels and presentations at industryassociations and civic groups including commis-sions and councils plus best practices presenta-tions to environmental and other conservationgroups. They are successfully spreading the wordabout the advantages of New Urban development.

About 25 miles from downtown St. Louis,Whittaker Builders are developing New Town St.Charles: 5,700 units on 750 acres planned byDuany Plater-Zyberk & Company.

“Why am I doing this? The main reason is Iwant to live in something like this—I’m buildingthis for myself,” quipped developer GregWhittaker. “I truly think it’s the right thing to do.We moved our corporate headquarters to NewTown. More than two dozen employees havebought here within walking distance to work.”

“We have homes just over $100,000 and homesup to $1 million and it’s all mixed—it’s not like an

expensive section and a segregated less expensivesection, he said. “People are getting tired of driv-ing every place just to meet their needs. Familieswould rather be riding bikes, rollerblading, walk-ing. This is the direction our company is going in.”

Traditional Neighborhood Development steeredby New Urban design is a direction a lot of communities are taking, and more and more areheading down the path to livable, walkable andfamily-oriented areas.

TND steered by New Urbandesign is a direction a lot ofcommunities are taking.

Traditional Neighborhood Development is a creativeplan that should revitalize the area and supply a foundation for the future.


Steve Wright frequently writes about New Urbanism’sTNDs. He and his wife live in a restored historic home inthe heart of Miami’s Little Havana. Contact him at:[email protected].


Only weeks before Katrina laid waste to keysections of his historic town, GulfportMayor Brent Warr had come into office

with a promise to overhaul the city’s zoning anddevelopment practices. Even he didn’t realizewhat a dramatic revision that would be.

After the storm, Warr recognized quickly thatthe conventional zoning and other codes—whichcalled for strict separation of uses, deep setbacksand auto-oriented streets—were unlikely to recre-ate the human-scale feel of the city’s walkable,one-of-a-kind historic fabric.

When the Mississippi Renewal Forum brought110 New Urbanist designers and planners to thecoast for eight days, Warr was there day and night,sharing his ideas and vision and absorbing all thathe could from the visiting experts. At the end, hehad a large part of his answer, a new approach toguiding development known as form-based codes.

“It’s the best way we know to get somethinglike the traditional look and feel,” says Warr.

And conventional zoning, as critics would haveit, is the best way to continue stamping out thetypical, asphalt-heavy development patterns theGulf Coast was seeing before the storm. Typicalzoning—referred to as “Euclidean” after theSupreme Court case that legalized it, The Village

of Euclid v. Ambler Realty—divides the normalfunctions of the city into districts restricted by use.In the beginning, zoning was rationalized as away to separate homes from smokestacks, stock-yards and other noxious uses. Today, critics say, itis used to separate compatible uses from oneanother. Not only are houses forbidden to locatenear shops, but even different housing types aresegregated from each other, so that large housesare separate from small houses, stand-alone hous-es are segregated from apartments and townhous-es, and so on. The radical separation of usesrequires a car trip for every activity, and so zoningand development codes demand wide roads andon-site parking for every building. Conventionalzoning could be regarded as the DNA of sprawl.

As an alternative, planners and designers look-ing to meet the growing demand for more walkable,traditional town centers and neighborhoods havebeen developing form-based codes. Conventionalzoning fixates on isolating uses and controllingdensity, while saying very little about how a com-munity should look and feel. However, form-basedcodes regard use as only one factor in making anappealing community. While conventional zoningrelies on huge books of text, form-based codesmake use of graphics and illustrations along with

Form-based codes may be the key to future community plans By David Goldberg


Getting theGetting theCodes RightCodes Right


text to indicate what kind of place is envisioned—whether a town center, a neighborhood with a walk-to shopping district, a sleepy village or a bustlingcentral business district. And while zoning codesoften exist independent of, and sometimes in oppo-sition to, a community’s plans and vision, form-based codes are designed to be a blueprint for mak-ing a shared vision for a place a reality.

“A lot of communities are rewriting their generalplans with high-minded goals of sustainability,walkability, et cetera, but they’re not rewriting theirzoning ordinances,” says Peter Katz, president ofthe Form-Based Codes Institute (www.formbased-codes.org), and former director of the Congress forthe New Urbanism. “If you know what it is youwant to see built, and you know what it looks like,form-based codes make it easy.”

“The classic neighborhoods and most-visitedplaces we all love are illegal under most zoningcodes,” says Sandy Sorlien, one of the authors ofthe SmartCode manual, a guide to the form-basedcode created by the firm of Andres Duany andElizabeth Plater-Zyberk, two founders of NewUrbanism. “Adopting the SmartCode makes itlegal, after it’s customized for local character. It’sreally quite flexible.”

Though the SmartCode is only three years oldand form-based codes generally are a recent phe-nomenon, the modern take on them emerged 25years ago, when Duany and Plater-Zyberkdesigned Seaside, Florida. The husband-wife teamwanted the new town to have the form and comfort-able function of a traditional Southern town, butthey did not want it to have the overly master-planned look of a place designed by a single archi-tect. After studying the places they admired, theydeveloped a code to guide how buildings wouldwork together to create streets that were appealingwithout being uniform, specifying how buildingsshould line up along the street, requiring entrancesand windows rather than blank walls, etc. Withinthese guidelines, whether an architect employed

strictly traditional styles or ventured into mod-ernist techniques and materials, the net effectwould be cohesive, walkable neighborhoods thatwould stand the test of time, even if the uses with-in the buildings changed, as many surely would.

Duany himself says he got the idea from prac-tices that were common in the streetcar suburbsand new towns built into the 1920s. Some tracethe origins of such codes in North America to theera of Spanish colonization, when King Philipissued the Law of the Indies, a compact guide tothe appropriate location for settlements, thedimensions of the central plaza, street layout andthe features of key buildings.

How form-based codes workIn order to apply a form-based code, a commu-

nity first has to decide through a planning exer-cise what kind of place they’re coding for. That is,planners decide where on the scale from mostrural to most intensively urban each area falls. Indoing so, most rely on some version of the rural-to-urban transect, a concept borrowed from eco-logical studies that categorize wildlife habitat. Thetransect describes a range of human habitat, fromrural hamlet, to the larger village, to the morecomplex town and finally the densest urban cen-ter. By historic convention and function, eachenvironment has its own standards for the ele-ments of human settlement: building, street, lot,land use, amount and character of public andopen space, etc. Townhouses, for example, mightbe out of place in a rural hamlet, but they areappropriate, and even necessary, in a town center.In lectures on the topic, Duany likens it tofootwear: The shoes you would wear to muck sta-bles would not be appropriate to wear to a black-tie ball.

These environmental features can, and do, varyfrom region to region and city to city. For that rea-

son, planners “calibrate” the code based on thecharacteristics of the place where they’re working,by going into the field and measuring, say, theusual setbacks of houses or street widths and otherfeatures of the local places that the communitywould like to emulate. These are then incorporatedinto the standards for each transect zone, or T-zone.

Ideally, the roads that cut across many transectzones would change designs to reflect each environ-ment. That is not the case with U.S. 90 on theMississippi Coast, for example, which roars throughcommunity after community at the same volumeand speed. “One of our most important recommen-dations,” said Sorlien, who helped calibrate thecodes for each town, “was that U.S. 90 shouldchange as it moves through the zones. In ruralzones it can be a high-speed highway, because therearen’t people walking, shopping or children play-ing. As it gets to town the design needs to reflect thespeed you want people to drive. That may meannarrowing the lanes, on-street parking and round-abouts. Rural areas don’t have curbs and sidewalks,but when it [the road] enters town it does.”

That communitiesfrom the deepSouth to theonce-wild Westare looking toform-based codes shows that somethingbig is afoot.

Form-based codes are the best way we know toget something like thetraditional look and feel.

Courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company


Form-based codes regulate use to an extent, butprimarily through specifying the types of buildingsthat are appropriate to a given street or neighbor-hood. This can allow a place to evolve over time,but without radically altering the character. “Thinkof the warehouse districts that have morphed intotrendy arts districts with street-level shops and gal-leries and lofts above,” she reflects. “The form ofthe buildings hasn’t changed much, but the inter-nal uses have all changed. Under use-based zon-ing, such a change would be considered drastic,because the land-use category has gone fromindustrial, at one end of the spectrum, to residen-tial, at the other, although to the average onlooker,the place looks pretty much the same.” A form-based code could help to encourage such adapta-tion by removing many of the regulatory hurdles tobe cleared.

Indeed, because such codes, and the processthat produces them, have the potential to reducethe regulatory head-banging and ad hoc decision-making, they are growing in popularity, says PaulCrawford, a California planner who now hashelped to write 22 of them. A veteran of a countyplanning department and author of 80 convention-al zoning plans before turning to form-based codes,Crawford developed California’s first code forSonoma in 1999. “When a community is clearabout what kind of development fits and whatdoesn’t, it makes the decision-making more pre-dictable for everyone involved,” says Crawford.

That was one appeal for Ventura, Calif., which isfinalizing a code for a downtown district that isexpected to be one of four areas with form-basedoverlays, says William Fulton, a Ventura councilmember and a leading expert on planning inCalifornia. “In a mixed-use district, this gets us outof micro-managing what goes on inside buildings,”he says. Traditionally a slow-paced oil- and agricul-ture-oriented town, set between the ocean and themountains, Ventura has become a favored landingplace for Santa Barbara commuters, with growthtensions mounting as a result. The city has decidedto manage growth by steering it to the four desig-nated higher-density zones and paying carefulattention to urban design through form-basedcodes, Fulton said.

Working out the bugs In adapting their approach, Ventura can look to

the experience of Petaluma, Calif., the first to adoptthe SmartCode by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. ThatBay Area town adopted the code in just ninemonths, after a seven-year effort to complete andadopt a more conventional, use-based plan andzoning ordinance for redeveloping 400 acres of itsdowntown. For the citizens who had been pushingmightily for a way to code their vision for the area,the code was a godsend, said Mike Moore, thecity’s community development director. But imple-mentation has been a little sticky, he said, in partbecause of the haste with which it was adopted.

Lesson number one is that it is hard to make aform-based code work as an overlay if you don’tamend the citywide zoning ordinance to adjust theprocess to accommodate it, both Moore andCrawford, who worked on the codes, agreed. “Oneof the things we were trying to do with this code isavoid making people go through multiple process-es, variances, et cetera, to build something thatotherwise meets the plan and the code,” Mooresays. “But we’re having to invent interpretations ofthe code that allow something to work.”

And while it is relatively easy to write a form-based code for an undeveloped greenfield site orto fill the gaps in established pattern, it is muchmore difficult to write as a guide to transitionfrom, say, a low-density strip retail or light indus-trial district to a walkable neighborhood. That canrequire an almost parcel-by-parcel assessment,Crawford says, which can take time and money.“The shortcomings are a result of the time it wasdone and what was known then,” notes Crawford.As the momentum for form-based codes builds,the innovators are watching closely and learningfrom the early adopters. “There’s huge interestand optimism,” says Crawford, “but not enoughtrack record, so practitioners have to carefullymonitor how they’re working to make sure theylive up to the potential.”

And momentum clearly is building, saysFulton. “We’re on the verge of an explosion,”Fulton predicts. “In the next couple of years we’llsee dozens of form-based codes adopted. It mayseem ironic that California, in many ways themotherland of automobile-oriented design, isblazing the trail in coding for mixed-use districts.

“It is because of the reliance on the automobilethat California is figuring out more quickly thanother places that this isn’t working anymore,” saysCrawford. “Because of the state’s issues withtransportation, air quality and housing affordabil-ity, planners statewide are looking for ways toaccommodate increased density and more com-pact urban form in ways that are acceptable, if notpreferred, by citizens. The form-based codes arelikely to be more successful at implementing thatvision than conventional zoning codes.”

In storm-ravaged Gulfport, the new approachrepresents both the future and the past, Mayor Warrsays. “In some areas that had tremendous damagewe’re calling restoration districts—we can’t reallycall them historic preservation districts becausethere’s not much left to preserve—we’re going tolean heavily on the form-based code.” While thecity is likely to make the code an optional overlay,he is confident it will be used. “I’d lay 70 to 80 per-cent odds that form-based codes will shape a lot ofwhat gets built or rebuilt in Gulfport.”

That communities from the deep South to theonce-wild West are looking to form-based codesshows that something big is afoot, says Sorlein.“This is a sea change in land use, after 50 or 60years of not building this way. There will be alearning curve at all levels so we will all struggletogether to figure it out and make it better. That’swhat makes this fun and exciting.”

David A. Goldberg is the communications director for SmartGrowth America, a nationwide coalition based inWashington, D.C. that advocates for land-use policy reform.In 2002, Mr. Goldberg was awarded a Loeb Fellowship atHarvard University where he studied urban policy.

Form-based codes regulate primarily throughspecifying the types of buildings that areappropriate to a given street or neighborhood.



AffordabilityEquation

Virtually every area in the country is grap-pling with the challenge of building andmaintaining affordable housing opportuni-

ties. It’s not an easy task, especially since the verydefinition of “affordable” changes from city to cityand town to town. Escalating production and landcosts, market trends, transportation challengesand established development patterns all mergetogether to further complicate attempts to providehousing that everybody can afford. But with hous-ing prices rising beyond what many working peo-ple can afford, the need for affordable housing hasnever been more immediate. From New Urban

design providing affordable options to innovativepublic-private partnerships, many communitiesand regions are tackling the ever-difficult afford-ability equation.

Something for every budgetWhile most New Urbanist neighborhoods pro-

vide a superior mix of housing types, their bestintentions of offering a wide variety of housingprice points often falls victim to market demands.As a result, their lower-end dwellings suffer anupward creep, sometimes even before the unitsare completed.

In Chaska, Minn., Clover Ridge is taking stepsto prevent that from happening. The approachhere is two-pronged. In Clover Field—the neigh-borhood’s first phase—most of the housing is mod-ular construction. Each home’s structural compo-nents are assembled in a Wisconsin factory, thentrucked to the building site for completion. Thiscomputer-driven approach creates a more solidhouse with truer lines, and helps to manage build-ing costs. The savings are then passed to thehomeowners. And since the two-story homes arecomposed of a bottom floor with ceiling joists, plusa top floor with floor joists (with additional sound-proofing material between the two layers), the two

living spaces are unbelievably quiet—a big sellingpoint for these options.

To help curtail the swift increase in propertyvalues found in virtually every well-executedTraditional Neighborhood Development (TND),Chaska officials created the Chaska CommunityLand Trust (CLT), a community-based, nonprofitorganization that is dedicated to creating and per-manently preserving affordable housing opportu-nities (defined in Chaska as housing appropriatefor households earning 80 percent of the medianincome in the region), while allowing individualhomeowners to build equity in their property.

Smart policies, creativity andNew Urban designs delivercost-sensitive housing options

The

Clover Ridge in Chaska, Minnesota

By Jason Miller

Selling the Clover Condominiums is a pleasure, says GayleDungey, a REALTOR® with DuToit Family REALTORS®.

“We market to the walking and biking trails, the SouthwestMetro Transit (bus) line on site, the Clover Ridge ElementarySchool. The Sinclair apartment building will be next door andwill have 12,000 sq. ft. of retail on the ground floor. Then there’sthe Chaska Community Center with its theater, workout facili-ties, café and art exhibits. While the neighborhood is very fam-ily-oriented, we aim at single young professionals and snow-birds for the Clover Condos. Where else can the average work-ing young adult in their 20s and 30s possibly find this kind ofsought-after lifestyle for that price?”

Here’s how it works: The CLT owns the landunderneath the houses in Clover Field. Each home-owner owns his or her house, and has a lease to putthe building on that lot for 99 years, with an optionfor adding another renewable period of 99 years.When the homeowner sells the house, he receivesthe equity off the house alone—not the land, whichkeeps the property affordable for decades becausethe most important and most volatile piece of thepuzzle—land value—is removed from the equation.The housing unit increases in value, but not expo-nentially, the way land can increase.

“Because of the way it preserves affordability inperpetuity, our CLT approach is truly fiscally con-servative and socially liberal,” says KevinRingwald, AICP, director of planning and develop-ment for the city of Chaska. “It’s very socially pro-gressive, and it has broad support of both the busi-ness community and the residents.”

As for rentals, an affordable apartment buildingis in the design stage, with construction slated tobegin in summer 2006. The Sinclair, an award-win-ning 115- to 120-unit project, will offer approxi-mately half of its units to families earning 50 per-cent of the area median income for a family of four,says Alan Arthur, president of Minneapolis-basedCentral Community Housing Trust, a nonprofit

provider of quality affordable housing and the pro-ject’s builder.

“Our goal is to add ‘life cycle’ housing to CloverField; that is, housing for single individuals, cou-ples and families with children—and anyone whofinds themselves moving through those cycleswhile living here. We will maintain the quality ofthe housing; it will fit into the community verywell.”

Ringwald points to the recently completedClover Condominiums as another score for afford-ability. With prices ranging from $129,900 to$169,900 (remarkable for the Twin Cities metroarea), “the condos are a great example of how weintensified land use and produced units in there.Right now the units are affordable for anyone mak-ing 60 to 70 percent of the median income. Thatgives people a real choice.”

Clover Field has become known nationally for itsaffordable housing strategies, so much so thatRingwald found himself relieved when a builderapproached him to build higher-end housing.“We’ve been seeing some more expensive homesgo in, now, which is good, because we wanted aplace where everyone can live. Initially it wasaffordable and mid-range housing, so this gives usa better mix of price points.”


New Urbanist neighborhoods

provide a superior mix of housing types.


It needs to be a collaborationbetween the building industry,the public policy makers and the housing advocates.

Portland, Oregon

The partnership factorNo single real estate or government entity is

going to solve the affordable housing dilemma byitself, says David Rusk, an urban policy consultantbased in Washington, D.C. “My position is thatthis needs to be a collaboration between the build-ing industry, the public policy makers, and thehousing advocates, understanding everyone’spoints of view and interests, and reaching anunderstanding of how to tackle it. The issue ofaffordable housing can’t be left to the nonprofitsector alone, or to government funds, which, par-ticularly at the federal level, are drying up fast.”

One strategy that Rusk supports is the creationof inclusionary zoning codes (IZCs) within eachmunicipality. An IZC is a local governmentrequirement that a modest proportion of newdevelopment be set aside for lower income, work-ing households, under conditions that are realisticfor that housing market and that are fair tobuilders in terms of sustaining their profitability.

That “fairness” often comes in the form of den-sity bonuses; essentially, permission for thebuilder to build more units per acre in order toaccommodate the affordable units without cuttinginto his profits. The numbers change amongmunicipalities, but the desirable, denser outcomeis one where affordable housing can be createdwith the New Urban and Smart Growth goal inmind.

Most inclusionary zoning laws are in higher-density areas, such as California, Vermont andDenver. One of the most mature and effective pro-grams is in Montgomery County, Md., where amoderately priced dwelling units (MPDU) pro-gram was adopted in 1974. Since its inception, theMPDU program has created more than 12,000MPDUs in the county.

Aimed at first-time home buyers, MontgomeryCounty’s MPDU strategy is an inclusionary zon-ing approach and one that is badly needed, saysElizabeth Davison, director of MontgomeryCounty Department of Housing and CommunityAffairs (DHCA), which administers the MPDUprogram and others.

“As with many large, high-growth metro areas,prices have been bid up and it’s hard for middle-class people to find suitable housing. In the pastwe were dealing with young people just startingout, or elderly or disabled people, or what werecalled the ‘working poor’; now we’re well into themiddle class who can’t afford housing here. It’sbeginning to affect companies and industries whoare trying to attract a work force.

Montgomery County’s MPDU program affectsalmost all development in the county, stipulatingthat 12.5 percent of every new development with

more than 40 units must be “moderately priced”;i.e., affordable for moderate-income families,which is currently defined as those making$58,000 annually (the annual median income inthe area is $90,000). Of those moderately pricedunits, the Montgomery County HousingOpportunities Commission (the county’s housingauthority) buys up to one-third; local nonprofitscan buy the remainder. The bulk of the develop-ment is market-rate housing. The DHCA acceptsapplications from interested and qualified buyers,and sometimes holds a lottery to decide who getsfirst choice of a given property.

As for resale, the DHCA maintains a controlperiod of 30 years for for-sale properties, and 99years for rental property owners. Within these con-trol periods, homeowners are allowed to sell theirunits, but the DHCA sets the price based on a con-sumer price index escalation from the originalpurchase price, while allowing for improvementsmade to the units. After the control period is over,owners can sell their units on the open market, butthe DHCA gets a share of the “excess profit,”which is what the controlled price would be, plusthe owner’s property improvements.

The DHCA’s efforts are bolstered by theAffordable Housing Conference of MontgomeryCounty (AHC), a 15-year-old nonprofit advocacygroup, which brings together representatives fromthe community on an annual basis to study afford-able housing issues, funds and awards prizes forunique designs that speak to the affordability fac-tor and hosts roundtable discussions to further thedialogue among housing experts. The organiza-tion’s mission is “to keep the issue of affordablehousing on the front burner and to identify solu-tions to the growing problem,” says BarbaraGoldberg Goldman, a co-chair of the organization.

“Housing is an inalienable right. It goes handin hand with health care and education. It affectsevery facet of our economy and our lives. And it isincumbent upon the private and public sectors tojoin together to make sure that everybody’s needsare addressed.”

New York designer Marianne Cusato and otherNew Urbanist architects are taking important stepstoward true affordability. Their series of “KatrinaCottages” are small, well-designed, real homesdesigned to provide emergency housing for GulfCoast communities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.And they put the FEMA emergency trailers toshame in looks and cost.

Cusato conceived the first design in October2005 at the Mississippi Renewal Forum. TheForum, a component of Mississippi GovernorHaley Barbour’s Governor’s Commission, studied11 Mississippi Gulf Coast communities that werebadly damaged or devastated by HurricaneKatrina, and produced recommendations for appro-priate rebuilding of the towns’ neighborhoods. Amodel of Cusato’s Katrina Cottage was constructedin Mississippi and trucked to Orlando in January2006, where it was displayed at The InternationalBuilders’ Show and greeted with much enthusi-asm. Another Katrina Cottage by South Carolinadesigner Eric Moser has since been built in PassChristian, Mississippi.

“Even though it’s the same size as a trailer ormobile home, it’s a small house,” says Cusato. “Thespaces are designed in the way we’d design ahouse—a logical sequence of spaces, appropriatelydefined rooms, properly sized windows. It’s a realhouse—just smaller. We design them to be moredignified, so people will take pride in them.”

How can something that looks this good be builtand installed on site for the same or lower cost as aFEMA trailer, for which the U.S. governmentspends between $70,000 and $140,000? Size, forstarters. The emergency-housing version of theoriginal Katrina Cottage is 308 square feet—thesame size as a FEMA trailer. Construction tech-niques under consideration range from modular tomail-order kits to structural insulated panels(SIPs)—all of which deliver houses with construc-tion costs lower than that of conventional stick-built, on-site houses. The emergency-housing ver-sion of the Katrina Cottage can be built for $35,000;even after installation, that cost should stay under$60,000.

But it doesn’t end there. A design team thatincluded such luminaries as Andrés Duany, SteveOubre, Susan Henderson, Eric Moser, SteveMouzon and Matt Lambert recently introduced theingenious Katrina Cottage II (there are 10 KatrinaCottage designs thus far; two are built), a “GrowHouse,” which, like other Katrina Cottages, mayremain on-site as a permanent dwelling that can beexpanded into a full-sized house over the years.

Built with SIPs, Katrina Cottage II provides 470 sq.ft. on its main floor, plus a 300 sq.-ft. loft. It cansleep four comfortably.

The Katrina Cottages idea is meeting withworldwide enthusiasm, says Cusato, who has field-ed interest from Kansas City, Kans., (officials therewant to use them as homeless shelters) to as faraway as Ghana. “There’s a market for affordablehousing, because it really is true that less is more.Some people don’t want a huge house; they wantonly what they need.”

If Cusato and her colleagues have their way,those needs will be met soon. Teams are working tocreate a portfolio of Katrina Cottages that cater tovirtually every life stage. Designs currently indevelopment include:

• Emergency cottages: 300 to 400 sq. ft.• Affordable cottages: up to 500 sq. ft.• Cottages for the elderly: 500 to 600 sq. ft.

(includes a side door that can lead to a caretaker-suite module)

• Affordable family cottage: 800 to 1,100 sq. ft.Stagnant, single-price-point housing that does-

n’t flex to meet residents’ needs is the norm thesedays, says Cusato, but that isn’t what homeownersneed. “We rarely stay at the same station in life,financially, but that’s what’s being built out thereright now. The idea of starting with a smaller houseand adding on to it makes sense.

“We need to take back the word ‘affordable,’ andremove the taboo associated with it. We shouldn’tthink less of anyone because of where they live,and they shouldn’t think less of themselves. I thinkit’s fully within our ability to change that.”


The Katrina Cottagesidea is meeting withworldwide enthusiasm.


The next small thing: Katrina Cottages

The Other Side of the Equation

Rebuilding Gulf areas with affordability in mind

Jason Miller is a freelance writer, editor and publishingconsultant based in Concrete, Washington.

Montgomery County, Maryland


Hurricane Katrina had it in for Mississippi’scoastal heritage. In a single day, Aug. 29,2005, the storm obliterated large portions

of 11 towns along the Gulf of Mexico, a strand ofpearls that ran from Bay St. Louis and Waveland onthe west, through Gulfport and Biloxi to Pascagoulaon the east.

For coast residents, personal losses were com-pounded by the fear that the unique fabric of thosetowns was gone forever: the live-oak-shaded down-town streets, the Creole cottages, the boardwalks,the unique Southern mosaic shaped by a conspira-cy of local climate, topography, culture, custom andtime. They had reason to fear, having seen whatmodern zoning codes and building practices hadwrought in the wake of Hurricane Camille in 1969:a low-grade, could-be-anywhere sprawl of stripcenters and off-the-shelf subdivisions.

It was almost miraculous, then, that their hour ofneed arose at a point when the New Urbanismmovement was reaching maturity. After all, this

was a planning and design discipline populated bypeople who had made a career of visiting, studying,measuring, analyzing, drawing and just plain lov-ing American towns, particularly of the South.Timing was ideal; more than a few years earlierand there is little chance that the movement couldhave gathered, on a moment’s notice, 100 top-notch practitioners skilled in designing placesbased on New Urban principles. But that is exactlywhat happened seven weeks after the storm, whenMississippi Governor Haley Barbour’s commissionon rebuilding convened the week-long MississippiRenewal Forum to kick-start plans for bringing thecoast back, better.

The linchpin of the effort was Andres Duany, afounder of New Urbanism who is perhaps bestknown for designing Seaside, Fla., along with wifeand partner Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, in the early1980s. Duany tells the story like this: Days after thestorm, architect Michael Baranco of Jackson,Miss., called Duany to ask him to come meet

Leland Speed, director of the MississippiDevelopment Authority, to talk about how hemight help the rebuilding.

“I came as quickly as I could,” Duany recalled.Arriving for the meeting, Duany learned partici-pants would include Jim Barksdale, the founderand former CEO of Netscape, whom Barbour hadnamed to head his Commission on Recovery,Rebuilding and Renewal, and the governor.

The governor was delayed as he finished tour-ing with President Bush, and in the meantime,Duany and Barksdale talked about which town hisfirm, DPZ, might work with. However, when thegovernor arrived, tired and exhausted, he was veryclear on his vision. He wanted to do all towns. Thisis when it multiplied from Duany’s own firm, DPZ,to the Congress for New Urbanism, the NewUrbanists’ national organization.

The governor reiterated his vision. “We willimpose nothing. We will illuminate the choicesand create tools that the municipalities may use ifthey wish … Do what you do.”

Doing what New Urbanists do meant, first,organizing an intensive planning and designworkshop known as a charrette—bringing anarray of development experts, land planners,architects, transportation engineers, environmen-talists, retail and marketing experts, together withthe client who could be either a municipal govern-ment, private developer, affected members of thecommunity or all of the above. The method allowspotential challenges and conflicts to be raised andaddressed through a series of plans and refine-ments, with everyone in the same room. Duany setabout organizing what is likely the largest char-rette ever attempted.

Duany asked more than 100 architects, townplanners—including his firm’s top competitors—and experts on transportation, environment, hous-

ing, retail and other issues from all over the coun-try if they would give up a week of their lives andtheir usual billing rate to spend a week with 200other people in a casino ballroom in devastatedBiloxi. Commitment needed to be swift as thecharrette for 11 towns was only a couple of weeksaway. Almost immediately, he had more top-shelfvolunteers than he could accommodate and ulti-mately most would be compensated at a reducedrate through a grant from the Knight Foundation.

On Oct. 11, 2005, about 100 out-of-state expertsconverged with a similar number of Mississippipractitioners at the Isle of Capri, a casino hotelwhose flooded lower floors were undergoing renova-tion. Many of the locals were storm survivors them-selves, such as Allison Anderson and her husbandJohn, two architects from Bay St. Louis who took aweek off from sorting through rubble and helpingtheir neighbors pick up their devastated town todevote every hour to the charrette. Numerous localelected officials also would participate, even as theystruggled to restore basic operations.

The charrette crew would share the hotel, oneof the only occupied buildings in central Biloxi,with relief and construction workers, taking theirmeals in an improvised canteen. They were divid-ed into teams, one for each town, plus teams spe-cializing in cross-cutting regional and socialissues, transportation, communications, codingand architecture.

On the first day, the team leaders were given ahelicopter tour of the devastated coastline. Thevideo they would show to the rest of the group thatevening was a relentless, soul-crushing testamentto the task before them, physical evidence of thestark statistics: 70,000 homes lost; 220-plus killedand tens of thousands displaced; more than 30million cubic yards of debris; 10 of 12 casinos (aneconomic mainstay providing 14,000 jobs)

By David Goldberg

Building back, better, on the Gulf Coast

First, New Urbanists organized an intensive planning and design workshop.


The Gulf Coast

YearningMississippi


destroyed; his-toric neighbor-hoods in Biloxiand Gulfport

flattened, along with town centers in Waveland andPass Christian, and half of one in Bay St. Louis.

Barksdale, the head of the governor’s commis-sion, reiterated their charge: “None of us wants tolook back 20 years from now and realize weallowed ourselves to get locked into a rebuildingprocess that failed to take advantage of the oppor-tunity we have right now … I hope we give it ourbest shot this week, that everybody is as creativeand as open as they can be. We want to do it right.And we want to do it for the long term.”

The commission also included formal guidanceto regard environmental justice and individualproperty rights as fundamental considerations; tomake sure the options included zoning and build-ing codes that would preserve historic character,make communities safer from future hurricanesand allow those who lived there to return, regard-less of income; to expand transportation options; toprotect the wetlands and other ecological features;and many other features of Smart Growth.

The visiting professionals went out to the com-munities to see for themselves and hear from citi-zens about what they cherished about their lost

towns, what they wanted back and what they did-n’t. They held public meetings in Quonset huts,Army-style tents or other improvised civic struc-tures, dropped in at Red Cross shelters and scouredfor evidence of the charm of the lost places. “Thepeople of Bay St. Louis were clear during the char-rette,” recalls Bill Dennis, the team leader for thatbeach town. “They wanted their town back to howit was—not only before Katrina, but before Camilleas well. In other words, they recognized thatsprawl-based zoning had slowly eaten away at thehistory and character of their town and now wouldnot let them rebuild their traditional neighbor-hoods.”

Bay St. Louis wasn’t alone in its desire to undowhat was done. In Biloxi, casino gambling wasapproved in 1992 without any real plan to managethe impact on its waterfront and downtown. Otherdevelopment patterns also were spreading, includ-ing the condo craze, new transportation routes andthe shift of the economic center of gravity—all weretransforming the coast, impacting the downtownand sprawling farther and farther north. The chal-lenges were enormous: To revive the towns as cen-ters of retail, tourism and civic life; to integratecasinos into waterfront neighborhoods; to harnessthe appeal of the Gulf without giving over toupscale high-rises; to supply affordable housing for

workers in the seafood, hotel, gaming and otherindustries; and many others.

At the same time these communities facedthese enormous challenges, FEMA deliveredadvisory flood maps that would have made it diffi-cult or impossible to rebuild in key areas.Undaunted, the teams pressed ahead, spurred onby the tremendous outpouring of hope, vision andgratitude from the local participants and citizens.Working from a set of shared principles and meth-ods, professionals who often had never workedtogether before produced proposals, plans anddrawings at lightning speed. These would be post-ed for discussion and critique by local officials,representatives of various trades and advocacyinterests and citizens, then reworked, posted andcritiqued again. With the approval of the governorand the sense of urgency inherent in the shorttime frame, getting decisions that would other-wise take months and years took hours and days.

The ultimate output was prodigious. Proposalsranged in magnitude, from huge—moving anexisting freight line—to tiny, as in the “Katrinacottage,” a 308 square-foot house designed as apotential replacement for the FEMA travel trailersbeing used as temporary housing, later expandedto a range of styles. Recognizing that not everyspot was safe for rebuilding, the teams often hadto make tough recommendations, while offeringappealing alternatives. Retail expert Bob Gibbsoutlined ways to attract retail from the old subur-ban strips into the town centers, making themshopping destinations for tourists as well as locals,while the Pass Christian team drew up plans torevive a devastated, beach-front Wal-Mart as theheart of a walkable village, with ocean-view hous-ing above and parking hidden behind Main-Street-style shops.

Proposals for the individual towns were asdiverse as the towns themselves.

For Waveland, which was almost completelyleveled by Katrina’s storm surge, the team recom-mended ways to rebuild as “an informal, bare-feetkind of place where kids and dogs are as safe inthe streets as they are in back yards,” eschewingthe “Disneyfication” that might otherwise occur,given the town’s rare stretch of public beachunspoiled by a busy highway.

Pass Christian received plans for a new, flood-proof city hall and town square and a set of strate-gic actions for restoring the devastated tax base.

Following suggestions from citizens and theperpetually engaged Mayor Brent Warr, Gulfport’steam drew up proposals to reconfigure and shoreup port operations while integrating a “MonteCarlo-style” casino and tourism destination intoan expanded downtown and a network of green-ways and parks.

Biloxi’s team urged rebuilding demolished EastBiloxi, a historic neighborhood of small single-family cottages fending off inevitable proposals to“condo-ize” it; converting roaring U.S. 90 into agenuine beach boulevard; and establishing firmdesign guidelines for the casinos that could nowbe built on land.

None of us wants to look back 20years from now and realize thatwe failed to take advantage of theopportunity we have right now.

Professionalswho often had never worked together before produced proposals, plans and drawings at lightning speed.

Biloxi, Mississippi

officials and won preliminary acceptance of thevillage design concept for the store. The town ofMoss Point hired the firm of HOK to lead andcoordinate a follow-up charrette for its town cen-ter area in late April, focusing on design and traf-fic plans, and how to implement them with theSmartCode. In Bay St. Louis, the county-sponsoredworkshops aimed at implementing the charretteplans in late April, and a civic group from Arkansasis planning to build a new community halldesigned by charrette team leader Bill Dennis.

The one sour note was struck in Biloxi, whereteam leaders Stefanos Polyzoides and ElizabethMoule withdrew from further participation in lateMarch, writing in a letter that officials were“allowing casino operators to drive infrastructureand design decisions, promoting unchecked realestate speculation and up-zoning—all incompati-ble with a community-based design approach.”

“We feel very strongly,” they added, “that everyeffort should be made to restore the existing EastBiloxi neighborhoods, keep the less advantagedresidents in place and invigorate their livelihoods.… The scenario that is being set in motion pre-cludes providing for near-in worker housing, therestoration of beloved neighborhoods and a moresensitively designed casino district.” City officials,for their part, have said in the local media thatthey do not intend to discard the goals of theplans, but that they feel the need to allow develop-ment to move forward quickly to get the economymoving and restore the tax base.

Charrette team leader Bill Dennis sums it upbest. The Renewal Forum was a starting point—avision that the future can be better and worth the

pain and effort of rebuilding. However, this effortis unceasing. Even those with the best intentionsoften don’t consider the overall effect of one devel-opment in isolation. The overwhelming need forthe basics—shelter, food and services such asschools—often render moot any delay in favor of along-term vision. When John Nolen, the greatAmerican planner of the 1920s, was asked at aCongressional Panel what American cities neededto reach their potential, he replied, “Everything atonce.” That is the situation that is faced in the BaySt. Louis and Gulf regions: only with constanteffort by the local citizens, along with unstintinghelp from volunteers, will everything that needs tohappen come about.

Fortunately for many of the well-loved citiesand towns along the Gulf Coast, there are manycitizens both within and outside the region whowant to see success. The vision portrayed by theplanners, born of the communities’ own aspira-tions, was compelling: A part of the country thatdraws from the best of its past, from its climate andlandscape, while also taking advantage of a veri-table blank slate to install the infrastructure of alikely future, from telecommunications to moderntransit, that will ensure a high quality of life andsuccessful economy.

As Duany told an audience in Mississippi, “Ifyou play your cards right, the Gulf Coast can skipthe past and the present and become a model forthe future. If you do anything less, you’ll alwaysbe pining for what was lost.”


Every town, meanwhile, received anew, unified development code, cali-brated to its unique features, that wouldshape redevelopment according to thehistoric and hoped-for character, ratherthan the generic sprawl that otherwisewould result. The charrette also pro-duced an architectural “pattern book”that is a how-to guide for building inways that are appropriate to the region’sclimate and tradition.

“I couldn’t imagine any group of peo-ple ever getting all the things done they were sup-posed to,” Barksdale said at a public review sessionat the end of the charrette. “It’s not just pretty littlefrou-frou stuff. There’s serious thought behind thisabout how we can live together, work together,shop together and get to know each other in betterways … People have been delighted with theamount of concern and caring these people haveshown.”

The view six months laterThe early success of the Mississippi Renewal

Forum and the attention it received helped to rein-force a perception that Mississippi had surgedahead of Louisiana in recovery efforts. But it wasn’tlong before Louisiana, which suffered far greaterdamage, turned to leading thinkers in NewUrbanism and Smart Growth to help guide theirrebuilding plans. The Louisiana RecoveryAuthority, using privately raised funds, hiredDuany’s firm to conduct model charrettes for threecommunities: St. Bernard Parish adjacent to NewOrleans; the city of Lake Charles; and VermillionParish in Cajun country.

The first, in Lake Charles, so energized the localcitizens and government that the mayor and citycouncil adopted nine resolutions to implement thecharrette proposals. The second, in Cajun countrysouth of Lafayette, produced an attractive model forthe relocation and future growth of areas that floodregularly, as well as ideas for economic develop-

ment in the impoverished area that locals alreadyare acting upon. The success of the third, in St.Bernard Parish, inspired officials in New Orleans toinvite Duany to lead a charrette in the Gentilly dis-trict, which was pending at press time. The DPZcommunity-based plans will feed into a largerregional plan for southern Louisiana being craftedby Peter Calthorpe and John Fregonese, the high-profile Smart Growth planners behind EnvisionUtah, Portland’s 2040 framework and other notableregional efforts.

In Mississippi, meanwhile, nearly all of the com-munities have made progress toward implement-ing at least some of the Renewal Forum proposals,particularly the development codes, dubbedSmartCode. Meanwhile, representatives of thecharrette teams have continued to make trips andremain engaged, often at their own expense.Subsequent training sessions have been held tohelp local officials learn to use the new approach tozoning and development codes.

After a follow-up charrette in late February, togather more community input and work throughplanning details, Gulfport is adopting theSmartCode as an optional overlay for some areas,though it is likely to be mandatory in the formerhistoric district, Mayor Warr said. In Long Beachand Pass Christian, individually tailoredSmartCodes are set to take effect this spring, givinghomeowners and businesses a framework forrebuilding. Pass Christian team leader Laura Halland others also have met with Wal-Mart real estate

There are many citizensboth within and outsidethe region who want tosee success.

The Gulf Coast can skip thepast and the present andbecome a model for the future.

As the communications director for Smart Growth America,David Goldberg participated in the Mississippi RenewalForum and three other rebuilding workshops in Louisiana.

By Brad Broberg

BACK TO THEBuilding higher density or

repopulating existing citiesis the true New Urbanism

FUTUREof cities



In 1947, the New Haven Chamber of Commercewas concerned about how to meet futuredemands for housing in the industrious

Connecticut city. The chamber commissioned astudy to determine how the city should respond.

“Don’t worry,” the study concluded. “You’re notgoing to have that much demand for housing.”

Plucked from history by author and professorDouglas Rae, that anecdotedescribes the experience ofmany American cities overthe last half-century. “Thevast majority of Americancities east of Denver are agood bit less dense than theywere 50 years ago,” said Rae,who teaches managementand political science at YaleUniversity and for a timeserved as New Haven’s chief

administrativeofficer.

Rae is theauthor of “City—Urbanism andIts End,” a casestudy of thesocial, economicand politicalcauses and con-sequences ofNew Haven’srise and fall. Raepresents a vivid,nuanced anddetailed historyof urban life inthe communitywhere he livesand works—with

plenty of food for thought about the past, presentand future of every American city.

While Rae’s book bids adieu to urban life as itexisted in New Haven’s heyday, it concedes that itis “entirely possible to seek an urban future—inNew Haven and other such places—that recapturesmuch of what was desirable [about] urbanism.”

Rae’s conclusion is cause for a collective, “That’swhat I’m talkin’ about,” from the Steve Belmonts ofthe world. Belmont, a Minneapolis architect andauthor of “Cities in Full: Recognizing and Realizingthe Great Potential of Cities in America,” believesthat revitalized central cities, not urbanized sub-urbs, represent the best way to achieve what hecalls “Smarter Growth.”

In a report prepared for the Great Cities Allianceentitled “The Truth About Smart Growth,” Belmontwrites, “For the social and environmental good …policymakers should let suburbs be suburbs as con-stituted prior to the 1960s and as still preferred by

many suburbanites: bedroom communities of sin-gle-family homes. Then cities would gain theadvantage in the competition for … those who pre-fer townhouses or apartments to detached homes,those who would rather walk than drive to every-day destinations, those who are amenable to alifestyle marked by routine transit use.”

If that sounds like a shot across the bow of NewUrbanism, so be it, said Belmont. “New Urbanismas routinely practiced is more style than sub-stance,” he said.

Ouch! Is that fair? Gordon Price thinks so. “NewUrbanism is basically new suburbanism,” saidPrice, director of The City Program at Simon FraserUniversity in Vancouver, Canada, and a former citycouncilman. “You can create little patches, butthat’s not serious urbanism. It’s fine as far as itgoes, but it doesn’t go very far.”

That doesn’t have to be the case, though. Theknock on New Urbanism from people like Price

and Belmont is not that it’s a patently bad idea,but that it too often occurs outside the central cityrather than inside it, where existing urban infra-structure can be leveraged to maximize SmartGrowth payoffs.

“The performance of New Urbanism is comingup short of what [proponents] promise,” saidBelmont. “It’s like an SUV that gets slightly bettermileage than a Hummer. The only way to obtainthe benefits is by developing high density at thecore.”

When pursued in that setting, New Urbanism isall about going back to the future, said Belmont.“If it were applied in the right locations, it wouldbe the old tried and true urbanism,” he said.

Conceived 20 years ago as an antidote tosprawl, New Urbanism strives to create neighbor-hoods and communities that are more dense,walkable and diverse than the typical suburbandevelopment. They offer a mix of housing typesfrom apartments over storefronts to single-familyhomes. They incorporate traditional designs withhomes that feature front porches close to the side-walk and garages served by alleys at the rear. Andthey integrate businesses, restaurants, civic facili-ties and parks to create a more self-containedenvironment.

That’s Smart Growth. However, it’s not neces-sarily “Smarter Growth,” said Belmont. Hisbiggest beef with New Urbanism is that its mostcommon form—greenfield development beyondthe central city—almost never provides enoughdensity to significantly reduce reliance on cars, afundamental goal of Smart Growth.

That’s also Price’s quarrel. “The big thing istransportation choice,” he said. “If it’s just anurban form [of development] that doesn’t dealwith transportation, it doesn’t solve the problem.”

In fact, said Belmont, it compounds the prob-lem by siphoning growth away from the core.“When you spin off higher density development[away] from the central city, you’re definitelyundermining transit ridership,” he said. “No mat-ter how hard you try to provide good transit sys-tems in the suburbs, you just can’t do it.”

Granted, plenty of suburbanites commute bybus and train to work, but they continue to usetheir cars for virtually all of their other daily trips,said Belmont. On the other hand, the central citypossesses a “natural transit superiority” thatencourages residents to make broader use of tran-sit because stops are closer, waits are shorter andriders can reach more destinations without trans-ferring, he said.

New Urbanism isall about going

back to thefuture. If it were

applied in theright locations, it would be the

old tried and true urbanism.

The presence of a supermarket andother routine retailing within walkingdistance is an essential characteristicof any urban neighborhood.


Transit is not, however, the only transportationoption available in fully realized urban environ-ments, said Price. Such neighborhoods offer res-idents many different transportation choices asthey go about their daily activities. Ideally, hesaid, people should have at least five options—feet, bike, transit, taxi and vehicle—and the abil-ity to mix and match them according to thenature and circumstances of the trip. “Proximityand mix and density and connectivity are reallywhat’s key here,” he said.

And so is the corner grocery. The presence ofa supermarket and other routine retailing withinwalking distance is an essential characteristic ofany urban neighborhood—new or old, saidBelmont. He calls retail and transit “the twinassets that minimize automobile dependence andownership.”

Weaning people from their cars benefits society in many ways ranging from curbing con-gestion and reducing pollution to making thecountry less dependent on foreign oil. What’smore, the ability to live without a car can savepeople thousands of dollars a year—money theycan spend on better housing. “That’s a reallypowerful choice for people,” said Price.

Assume, for the moment, Belmont is rightabout the wisdom of revitalizing central cities ver-sus urbanizing the suburbs and about the neces-sity of nurturing transit and retail to make thathappen. What’s the next step? “Higher density,”said Belmont. “Central cities that maintain low-density residential zoning are a big part of theproblem. They’re funneling growth to the suburbsin greater percentages than they need to.”

If that’s true, the solution is simple. Changethe zoning. Of course, that’s much easier saidthan done—a political fact of life Price is quitefamiliar with after serving six terms on theVancouver City Council. “You don’t just go into aneighborhood and say, ‘Hey, we’re here to changethe character of your community,” he said.

On the other hand, maybe you do.“Neighborhood self-determination is not a consti-tutionally guaranteed right but a political productof the 1960s,” writes Belmont. “Some issues aretoo consequential to the health of the city and themetropolis to be decided by neighborhoodactivists. Density should take its place amongthese vital issues.”

The density of most American cities is less than5,000 people per square mile, said Belmont, whichis less than half the density required to sustainneighborhood retail. “Attempts to recentralize arenot going to be successful quickly, but I still arguethat’s the direction we should be going in becausethere’s a tremendous amount of grossly undevel-oped land in the cities—even in a city like NewYork,” he said.

One approach is to find creative answers toarguments against increasing neighborhood den-sity such as lack of parking. In Vancouver, a devel-oper is selling parking spaces separately from his

project’s housing units and has arranged for sevenflex-cars to be stationed there for residents whoopt to forgo a personal vehicle, said Price.

Rae, too, has witnessed creative examples ofNew Urbanism in action such as the conversion ofa dead New Haven mall into a condo/apartmentcomplex. By the same token, he’s also aware thatsome people “just want their two acres of grass[and] it’s hard to imagine anything governmentcan do about that.”

Rae believes immigration just might be the cat-alyst needed to make central city neighborhoodscome alive again and catch the eye of people witha taste for urban living as they choose where tolive. “The trick,” he said, “is for cities to attract asignificant fraction of each future generation thatmakes that choice.”

It is entirely possible toseek an urban futurethat recaptures muchof what was desirable[about] urbanism.

The trick is for cities to attract a significantfraction of each future generation that makesNew Urbanism their choice.

Brad Broberg is a Seattle-based freelance writer special-izing in business and development issues. His workappears regularly in the Puget Sound Business Journaland the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.



In the same neighborhood that saw the worstattack on American soil, a new type of urbanliving is beginning to thrive. Just blocks from

the site of the World Trade Center, new construc-tion in the lower west side of Manhattan has peo-ple thinking differently about what it means to livein the city.

That’s because the new ultra high-rise apart-ments, condominiums and commercial buildingsbeing erected in Battery Park City are sustainable,constructed to negate the impact a building has onsociety as well as its occupants. The green build-ings are tucked in a bustling area of lowerManhattan that provides the ultimate “live, workand play environment” with access to a bustlingfinancial center, open green spaces and the harbor.

It’s also a prime example of what a new itera-tion of the LEED (Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design) Green Building RatingSystem® hopes to accomplish: bringing green tourban America or promoting sustainable buildingsin communities that are developed with NewUrbanist principles in mind.

The US Green Building Council, the Congressfor New Urbanism and the Natural ResourcesDefense Council are advocating a new rating sys-tem (for neighborhood development) calledLEED®-ND that would encourage these types ofneighborhoods.

It will be piloted this fall and the final LEED-ND Rating System, will be published in 2008.Similar to LEED-NC and other LEED products,LEED-ND will act primarily as a certificationbasis, a stamp of sorts for builders who wish toconstruct environmentally sound neighborhoodswithin a relatively self-sufficient and sustainablecommunity that integrates into a region economi-cally, ecologically and culturally.

The benefits of development and growth utiliz-ing these New Urban principles have a variety ofpositive effects on the communities in which theyserve. None of these is greater however, than the

reduction of energy use realized by putting theseprinciples into practice, say LEED advocates.

Green building performs and enhances manyfacets of energy reduction and limitation of waste.

The proposed LEED-ND rating process isweighted toward promoting neighborhoods thatare compact in design, close to transit, mixed use,a mixed housing type and pedestrian and bicyclefriendly designs. The rating system is being devel-oped by the LEED-ND Core Committee and theLEED-ND Corresponding Committee.

It’s a product that is long overdue, according toreal estate and development consultants. AlDoyle, a partner and creative director at theSeattle residential real estate firm calledFusionpartners, says the new standards could be atremendous asset to homeowners who are attract-ed to master planned neighborhoods and greenbuildings but have no real assurances today thatdevelopments pass muster.

“This is something that needs to be done,”believes Doyle, who said that rating systems likeLEED ensure that standards are met “and it’s notjust something that is coming from theREALTOR® or developer.”

Pam Lippe, president of New York City basedgreen consulting firm, e4 inc., agrees with Doyle,but says the latest LEED product offers more thanstandards for homeowners.

Green is theSmart ChoiceNew Urbanism designs lead to self-sustainable

and energy-efficient developmentsBy Christine Jordan Sexton

Battery Park City in New York


“That’s one of the market needs, but the otherside of it is the developers may in fact want todevelop that way [green] but they don’t reallyunderstand what goes into a LEED development,”said Lippe, who represents a client who is consid-ering applying for the LEED-ND pilot.

Indeed, “green” is not an image that many peo-ple have when they think of the area adjacent toGround Zero. Yet, when built out to completion in2009, Battery Park City will have more squarefootage of sustainable development in one placethan any other place in the world, said JamesCavanaugh, president & CEO of the Hugh L. CareyBattery Park City Authority.

It’s appropriate that the 92 acres of land alongthe southwest Manhattan waterfront lead thenation in the development of high density green.The 92 acres were once rotting piers on the Hudsonwaterfront. The New York State Legislature in 1968created the Authority, empowered it to issue bondsand directed it to create, coordinate and maintain abalanced community of commercial, residential,retail and park space. Infill was complete in 1976and development in the area began in the 1980s.

Under the direction of New York GovernorGeorge E. Pataki the Authority in 2000 published aset of residential guidelines that required any devel-oper bidding on residential buildings to build green and meet LEED silver standards, although therequirement has subsequently been upped to gold.

The Solaire was completed in 2003 andachieved LEED gold the following year. TheAuthority subsequently mandated that commercialbuildings also be built to green standards. “Therewas uncertainty whether developers would warm tothe challenge,” said Cavanaugh, who noted that onthe list bid for property in Battery Park Citybetween seven and 10 of the “top developers” inthe area bid on the project

Green building design assists in keeping livingspaces cool in the summer and warm in the winter byutilizing many natural elements. This positivelyaffects the ability to downsize mechanical equipmentsuch as air conditioners and heaters, again reducingenergy use and costs. Green buildings often use lessthan half the energy of conventional structures.

To that end, the Solaire uses 35 percent less ener-gy than a similar building designed to state coderequirements, according to Battery Park City officials,and 65 percent less electricity during peak demandperiods. The reason: the building has 382 solar pan-els. The Solaire also has an onsite wastewater treat-ment facility and a storm water reuse system.

There are dozens of reports and analyses of thecosts and benefits of designing sustainable build-ings. Generally speaking it’s accepted that the ear-lier in the process it is decided to build green, orsustainable, the lower the costs. A report called “Green Building Costs and Financial Benefits,” byGregory H. Kats, suggests that the benefits of

building green can be anywhere between $50and $70 a square foot in a LEED building or “over10 times the additional costs of building green.”

To help offset the initial increased costs ofsmart sustainable buildings, Gov. Pataki intro-duced a tax credit for building green. The GreenBuilding Tax Credit provides for tax credits toowners and tenants of eligible buildings and ten-ant spaces which meet certain green standards.The credit became effective January 1, 2001, andis allowable for taxable years 2001-2009. It iscapped at $25 million.

While Battery Park City helps pave the way inthe Northeast, the High Point developments inSeattle on the West Coast also are being recog-nized for the mix of green and New Urbanism.The neighborhood has been featured in a PBSdocumentary and also was featured at the Life inthe Urban Landscape Conference in Gothenburg,Sweden last year.

And, it’s no wonder why. The former low-incomehousing neighborhood, in the center of West Seattlewith some of the best views of the city, is beingtransformed into a mixed-income, multigenera-tional, pedestrian oriented, green community.

The redevelopment is being spearheaded bythe Seattle Housing authority, which is sellingland to private and not-for-profit homebuilders.The 129 acre neighborhood was redeveloped witha drainage system that has been designed to pro-tect and enhance the water quality of the state’smost important salmon stream which the neigh-borhood teeters on. The natural drainage systemuses specially engineered soil along with grassand plants to treat the runoff from the roadwayand housing. The system provides greater oppor-tunity to cleanse the runoff than the traditionalpiped and centralized management approach.

To complement the clean environment there are35 “breathe easy” rentals in the community thatare rented to parents whose children suffer fromasthma. The children’s progress is tracked by theUniversity of Washington’s School of PublicHealth and Seattle’s King County HealthDepartment. There also are homes built by someof the area’s preeminent builders that will sell for$600,000 said Seattle Housing Authority seniordeveloper Tom Phillips. Those homes also mustmeet certain green standards. Builders arerequired to meet the BUILTGREEN™ three-starcertification. The standards were developed by theMaster Builder Association of King andSnohomish counties as well as local government.

Phillips said people in Seattle “are really respond-ing” to High Point, and he attributes the communi-ty’s success in part to attractive streetscapes and itstraditional neighborhood design. Those weren’t fea-

tures that Phillips was going to sacrifice in order tobuild green nor did he have to.

“You don’t want to live in something that is anexperiment or looks strange,” said Phillips. “Youwant a neighborhood where people walk aroundand there are front porches and they relate to theneighbors and there is a social cohesion.”

Phillips’ observation is that home prices inHigh Point continue to escalate. “A builder sold 24houses in the first three months in the $390,000 to$420,000 range. They have done real well and Iwould say the response has been really strong,” hesaid, adding that the homebuilder was surprisedat the ease in which the homes sold. “The priceskeep increasing, too.”

Lyle Homes and The Dwelling Company aretwo other area companies that are beginning tobuild in High Point. Lyle Homes Vice PresidentReg Willing said his company is just beginning todevelop 41 homes. While the company has builthomes to BUILTGREEN three-star standardsbefore, the homes in High Point will be at leastfour-star rated, he said. Willing said the companywill take what it learns from building in HighPoint and apply it to future developments. “It’s achange that we are implementing company wide.This development is going to open our eyes to theway we are building.”

The Dwelling Company marketing managerNoree Milligan says interest in the redevelopedneighborhood has been high.

“I think that people just view it as responsiblehomeownership,” she said, adding, “Why wouldn’t you want to live in a green neighborhoodif you could?”

The benefits of development and growth utilizingNew Urban principles have a variety of positiveeffects on the communities in which they serve.

Green building performsand enhances many facetsof energy reduction.

Christine Jordan Sexton is a Tallahassee-based free-lance reporter who has done correspondent work for theAssociated Press, the New York Times, Florida MedicalBusiness and a variety of trade magazines, includingFlorida Lawyer and National Underwriter.

62 ON COMMON GROUND SUMMER 2006 SUMMER 2006 ON COMMON GROUND 63High Point development in Seattle


smartGrowthinthestatesCompiled by Gerald L. Allen, NAR Government Affairs

A developer has announced a plan todevelop a $100 million residentialand retail development on 77 acresin Littleton that for decades housedan oil research facility. LittletonVillage will be an urban-style devel-opment zoned for as many as 900residential units; although the devel-opers say only 600 to 700 units prob-ably will be built. The developmentalso will include 200,000 square feetof retail space. This was not the firstproposed use of the land, with theLittleton city council rejecting a planput forth by a home builder and alarge chain retailer after many resi-dents voiced objections. The newplan calls for a denser, urban-styledevelopment, but without giantretailers and more than three timesas many housing units as the firstproposal. Architects for the develop-er have stated that Littleton Villagewill be developed on a traditionalstreet grid with no cul de sacs andwill have traditional city boulevardsand a park that will feature art showsand farmers markets.

In March, Randal Park, a communityplanned for Orlando’s eastern fringe,won preliminary approval from the citycouncil. The project would include threeneighborhoods with as many as 1,870 res-idential units, 350,000 square feet ofretail space, 100,000 square feet ofoffices, a seven-screen movie theater and29 acres of parks. The 712-acre develop-ment is earning early comparisons withBaldwin Park and Celebration because ofits “New Urbanism” design features,including a mix of houses, townhousesand multifamily units built around a towncenter in a walkable community. Housesin Randal Park will feature porches closeto the street and garages along backyardalleys. Nearly half its acres can’t bedeveloped because of wetlands and otherrestrictions. The first phase of the projectcould be finished by 2008, but it’s unclearhow quickly the other phases would fol-low. An aspect of the project that was con-sidered favorable was an agreement bythe developer to pay in advance for theconstruction of eight new classrooms at alocal middle school, estimated to costabout $1.3 million.

The city of Carmel, partneringwith a developer, broke ground inMarch on Carmel City Center,designed to serve as a new down-town for the city. When complet-ed, Carmel City Center willinclude the Carmel PerformingArts Center, a 1,600 seat world-class concert hall, 500 seat per-formance theatre, outdooramphitheatre, restaurants, retail,office suites and luxury resi-dences. The retail shops, restau-rants, residential units and officesuites anticipate opening in thefall of 2008, with a hotel projectedto open in the spring of 2009 andthe Carmel Performing ArtsCenter and Theatre opening inthe fall of 2010. The site uponwhich Carmel City Center will bedeveloped was purchased by thecity of Carmel, along with sur-rounding farmland property for atotal of 80 acres. This propertypreviously contained a deteriorat-ing strip mall with an old emptygrocery store as its anchor.

COLORADO

Officials and residents havemixed feelings about thehigh-density, mixed-useBauer Farm project inLawrence’s northwest edge,some three miles fromdowntown, with city com-missioners voting 3-2 forsite rezoning and a prelimi-nary plan. Opponents of theplan were troubled by itsdivergence from theHorizon 2020 vision, whichrecommended low-densitydevelopment for this area.The 43-acre project willinclude a total of about 200single-family homes andmultifamily units, with loftsabove retail and apartmentsatop garages, plus stores,offices and space for reloca-tion of the LawrenceCommunity Theatre, allwithin walking distance.One concern that has beenexpressed is that the newstores would compete withdowntown businesses.

An ambitious renovation inColumbia is under way totransform the former DiggsPacking Co. meat packingplant into a mixed-use com-plex of art studios, offices,shops, restaurants andapartments. The city’s his-toric preservation commis-sion purchased the site,which consists of a two-level, 31,016-square-foothistoric brick structure builtin the 1920s and featuressolid construction, industri-al skylights and a conven-ient location near down-town. The complex could beready for tenants in early2007 and also dovetailswith the ongoing revitaliza-tion of the Columbia north-central neighborhood.

Several cities in the Las VegasValley have recently consid-ered policies that limit or out-law the development of gatedcommunities and walled sub-divisions. Las Vegas andHenderson have recentlyupdated zoning codes andtheir comprehensive plans todiscourage gated communi-ties and encourage develop-ers to build walkable, con-nected communities withparks, shops, restaurants,workplaces and other ameni-ties close to homes. BoulderCity enacted a six-monthmoratorium on gated commu-nities to give the city counciltime to enact an ordinanceoutlawing them. New designsbeing favored in the Valleytend to be dense mixed-use,pedestrian-friendly neighbor-hoods with no gated commu-nities and few walls that areinterconnected by narrowstreets, village squares, parksand open space.

FLORIDA INDIANA KANSAS MISSOURI NEVADA

Construction of the new $16million Cranford Crossingmixed-use village in Cranford isprogressing rapidly. Situateddirectly across from theCranford train station, CranfordCrossing will feature approxi-mately 21,000 square feet ofground-floor space and 50 luxu-ry for-sale condominium homesin two buildings that will incor-porate a downtown NewUrbanism design. In addition,the company has pledged tobuild Cranford’s first municipal-ly owned parking garage, pro-viding 310 spaces to be sharedby commuters, shoppers, retail-ers and residents. CranfordCrossing is the largest redevel-opment undertaken in historicCranford’s downtown businessdistrict in more than a century.In 1995, the project was one offour honored with a SmartGrowth Award from New JerseyFuture as a forward-thinkingdevelopment that will improvethe state’s communities whilepreserving its natural areas.

NEW JERSEY


smartGrowth inthestates (continued)

The Congress for NewUrbanism (CNU) and theCenter for NeighborhoodTechnology are stepping in tohelp make the case for tearingdown Buffalo’s Skyway in thename of urban revitalization.Both organizations haveincluded the Buffalo Skyway,along with similar roadways inSeattle and Louisville, in astudy on removing infrastruc-ture barriers to boost land val-ues and investment. Describingthe 50-year-old Skyway as“brutally ugly” and “unneces-sary,” John O. Norquist, presi-dent of the CNU, said he’shappy to get involved in plan-ning its demise. The 5,800-foot-long Skyway is a key part ofBuffalo’s transportation infra-structure, carrying more than40,000 vehicles a day betweendowntown and points southover the Buffalo Ship Canaland Buffalo River.

In October 2005, the El Paso citycouncil called for a completerewrite of the city’s subdivision,zoning and building ordinances.Its charge is to incorporateSmart Growth and NewUrbanism principles as part of anew strategic plan to encouragemore parks and open space indevelopment. Proponents of theplan argue that the city’s cur-rent standards are years out ofdate and encourage developersto build sprawling neighbor-hoods that have no form and arecompletely automobile-depend-ent. In January, city officials,residents and citizens gatheredfor an assessment of the city’scurrent regulations by a teamfrom the Urban Land InstituteFoundation. The panel is recom-mending that El Paso revise itscodes to include new standardsaimed at developing neighbor-hoods with parks and otheramenities. The panel also rec-ommends that the city adoptnew policies to encourage thepreservation of historic build-ings and to redevelop agingneighborhoods.

In James City County,construction of the NewTown development is in“high gear,” with planscalling for the mixed-usedevelopment to more thandouble its retail and officespace and build up to 250housing units. The pedes-trian-friendly develop-ment will add about314,000 square feet ofretail and office spaceduring 2006, adding tothe 243,000 square feet ofspace in place at the endof last year. In addition toretail and office space,construction is under wayon the New Town UnitedMethodist Church and anew James City CountyCommunity Building. Thedevelopment will also fea-ture affordable housingunits, with costs of thenew homes between$105,000 and $140,000.The development will befully built out by 2009, 12years after starting.

NEW YORK

Seattle Mayor GregNickels recently signedlegislation to shape thefuture of Seattle’s greaterdowntown area. The legis-lation will contribute morethan $100 million to afford-able housing. The legisla-tion encourages morehousing immediately adja-cent to the traditionaldowntown commercialcore, and increases thecapacity of the area for newjobs by allowing for morecommercial development.The mayor’s Center CityStrategy moves Seattle for-ward on two major policygoals: promoting afford-able housing and encour-aging “Smart Growth” inthe city and the region. TheCenter City Strategy willspur more contributions toaffordable housing by pro-viding incentives to buildhousing units.

TEXAS VIRGINIA WASHINGTON

Get Smart,Get Involved

▼ Smart Growth Action GrantsGet up to $3,000 to help your association take action.

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Land-Use InitiativeGet a free analysis of pending land-use legislation.

Smart Growth SurveysNAR will split the cost of conducting a poll ongrowth and land-use issues in your area.

Smart Growth Resources for REALTORS®

and REALTOR® Associations

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® urges you to

NAR has many resources designed to help REALTORS® and REALTOR®

associations take a strong leadership role in guiding their community’sgrowth and improvement. Take advantage of these benefits:

Community Growth UpdatesNAR compiles up-to-date information and details on avariety of community growth issues, including:

• Transportation• Schools• Open space• Community design

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Visit www.realtor.org/smartgrowth for more details, or contact Hugh Morris, Community Outreach Representative, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, 202-383-1278, [email protected]