Economic Advantages of New Urbanism

The guiding strategy behind Plan El Paso is New Urbanism. This planning approach is also called Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) for good reason. Some of us remember or have seen and admired in older neighborhoods the homes with porches that face the street and are invitations for sociality and neighborliness. Sidewalks and trees line the streets. Shops, offices, schools and churches are nearby. The streets are connected and do not end in tragic cul-de-sacs that take a motorist forever to find connection to a major thoroughfare. New Urbanism uses designs that ease transportation, encourage walking and biking, give infill and not sprawl priority, value open spaces and parks. By the way, parks are not separated from homes by walls that fence in backyards. New Urbanism, and thus Plan El Paso (the City's Comprehensive Plan Re-Write), means lower transportation costs, placemaking, walkability - i.e., community.  But are there economic advantages?  Is there some gain that financial risk takers (developers) can achieve? Studies show that there are.


For a quick overview take a look at a simple slide show put together by Jason King of Dover Kohl, the consulting firm facilitating El Pasoans re-write of their City's Comprehensive Plan. It's called "Good Planning Is Good Business":

Good Planning is Good Business

Also take a few minutes to read "Dynamics of Master-Planned Communities by Laurie Volkand Todd Zimmerman which is found in the Appendix of Volume 2 of Plan El Paso on page C-2. I embed it here for your convenience:


Portion DRAFT ELP C Econ Dev Reports 010512

Development advantages include lower land cost per unit, lower infrastructure cost per unit, lower first-phase infrastructure cost, and greater development flexibility. Developers can expect unit price premiums and increased sales paces. Keep in mind that a well-designed environment enhances the value of property and buyers select neighborhood first and home second.


An EPA study, "The Transportation and Environmental Impacts of Infill versus Greenfield Development" [Greenfield = Suburban Edge/Sprawl] shows the advantages for infill development which include shorter vehicle trips, lower infrastructure and household travel costs, less pollution and greater access to amenities.


The closer you live to work, the more money you save on commuting. The more money that you save on commuting, the more you can pay on mortgage or rent, a benefit to builders,sellers and landlords.


Try a simple tool. Go to Abogo. Type in an address from a neighborhood that can be considered infill - Sunset Heights for example. Type in another address for a home on the edge of sprawl. Make the comparison.


Finally, take time to read "Sustainable Development: Prosperity without Growth" by Michael Kinsley and published in 1992 by the Rocky Mountain Institute. Kinsley's summary: ". . . while growth is often perceived as the only path to economic viability, the good news for both declining and growing communities is that there is an alternative. Prosperity does not require growth; it requires development that is sustainable." 


Plan El Paso, the City's Comprehensive Plan Re-Write, should be adopted and with very few changes - fewer than those proposed in a Memorandum.