A recent UN report states that 50% of the world’s population will live in cities by the year 2007. How we handle population growth in and around cities will be increasingly important to our overall quality of life.

Density is one of those words that mean different things to different folks. Traditionally Americans equate it with public housing, poverty, and crime. But in the last decades, some sectors have been proposing variations as positive solutions to a myriad of problems facing cities.

Since WWII, we have ‘sprawled’ out into the countryside around cities in pursuit of the American Dream – ownership of single family homes with open spaces in safe neighborhoods with good schools. This sprawl is blamed by some for loss of farmland and wildlife, increased traffic congestion and resulting pollution, and a general decline of conditions in many central cities. According to the Brookings Institution, between 1982 and 1997 urbanized land in the US rose by 47%, from 51 million acres to 76 million acres while the population increased by 17%.

In January, the Boston Society of Architects held a forum to examine density and what it means. Proponents of density argue that a threshold population is required to support amenities, giving people more choices – for basics as well as for entertainment. The tax base’s size also affects the level of basic infrastructure possible - schools and services. Density makes provision of basic services cheaper. Proponents of density claim that well-planned implementations actually discourage poverty and crime.

Density proponents break into two main groups, ‘Smart Growth’ and ‘New Urbanism.’ While they have come from different grass roots and have focused in different areas, both share many of the same precepts. Both encourage mixed use development with basic services within walking distance of residences and include interconnected traffic patterns. A primary goal is to reduce automobile dependency and improve ‘liveability.’

Opponents point out that density still creates congestion by its nature. If more people are in a smaller area, even if they drive less – a lot less – than they do in less dense areas, there are still more of them – so more congestion. This has become a major issue with some ‘smart growth’ projects. And higher concentrations of people tend to create more air pollution as well. There is also some concern over how the mixed use and mixed economic housing types will effect property values. In urban areas, density often equates to highrise development and this scares many.

Ultimately we want choices. People are different and have different ideas about an ideal living situation. People will migrate to those situations which most closely fit their own ideal. For instance, some still feel that long commutes are worth it. Others are fed up with the costs - both of time and money. AAA claims the cost of owning, maintaining, and driving the average car is over 50 cents per mile. In some places, commuters are paying more in car costs than in housing costs. And overall there is an increasing awareness and concern about how we effect the environment. All want alternatives.

What is most likely to succeed are solutions created at a local or regional level because then people can take ownership. One problem that has surfaced is the inappropriate use of buzzwords. Another is that, as always, the tendency is to want experimentation to occur in someone else’s backyard! The jury’s still out.

In Tucson, a ‘New Urbansim’ development called Civano this year was awarded Sunset Magazine’s ‘Best New Community’ award. It’s an 818 acre mixed-use community which emphasizes energy and water conservation and offers a variety of residential design and price range.

Is there money to be made in the changing philosophy of growth and development? CEO Jim Jacoby of Jacoby Development, previously developer of strip malls and Wal-Marts, and now promoting Atlantic Station - the mixed use, ‘green’, and smart-growth $2 billion project in Atlanta has been quoted as saying “There’s gold in environmental redevelopment.”

 

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