new urbanism: just... performs...better

Smart Government and New Urbanism: It JustPerformsBetter

Stephen FilmanowiczCommunications DirectorCongress for the New [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Photo: Alfonso Surroca via Flickr (CC)

It takes a lot of gasoline to run most communities. It takes a lot of gasoline to run most communities.

Photo: Alfonso Surroca via Flickr (CC)

Be prepared to drive everywhere… starting with school and work in the morning..Be prepared to drive everywhere… starting with school and work in the morning..

Photo: Size8Jeans via Flickr (CC)

The meter is running all the time.The meter is running all the time.

5

It takes a lot of gasoline to run most communities. It takes a lot of gasoline to run most communities.

Communities run better on New Urbanism.Communities run better on New Urbanism.

They still use gasoline, just a lot less of it. They still use gasoline, just a lot less of it.

7

New Urbanism saves families money on their second largest expense — transportation.

It creates more enduring value in down and up markets.

It connects people to convenient nearby destinations.

It’s now the green standard in community design.

It produces big increases in traffic safety and public health.

…while delivering benefits that it doesn’t pay to ignore.

It creates more tax base while being more efficient to protect and serve.

Image: Del Mar Transit Village, Pasadena, CA, photo by Tom Bonner

So what exactly is New Urbanism?So what exactly is New Urbanism?

Community 1.0 (B.C.-1950)Community 1.0 (B.C.-1950)

Photo: David LaHaye

Think of it as an operating system for the design of communities, based ontraditional community operating systems (1.0).

Community 1.0 Community 1.0

Connected street networkConnected street network

Mixed-use: residences near workplaces, shops, schools, parks and other amenities.

Mixed-use: residences near workplaces, shops, schools, parks and other amenities.

Served by transitServed by transit

High quality public realmHigh quality public realm

Compact neighborhood formCompact neighborhood form

Photo: Western Nevada Historical Society (CC).

Community 2.0 (envisioned 1920s-30s) Community 2.0 (envisioned 1920s-30s)

Photo: Broadacre City via Kjell on Flickr(CC).

Community 2.0 (1945- ) Community 2.0 (1945- )

Photo: courtesy of Doug Farr, Farr & Associates.

Low-connectivityLow-connectivity

Separate use: homes are buffered from schools, workplaces, shops etc,

Separate use: homes are buffered from schools, workplaces, shops etc,

Ample parkingAmple parking

Transit limited to park-n-ride, if that.Transit limited to park-n-ride, if that.

Spread-out formSpread-out form

Photo: Oak Brook, Illinois, Congress for the New Urbanism Archives

Community 2.0 establishes new standardsCommunity 2.0 establishes new standards

Separate-use zoningSeparate-use zoning

High-volume arterial and highway design standardsHigh-volume arterial and highway design standards

4-5 req. parking spaces per 1000 s.f. of commercial space

4-5 req. parking spaces per 1000 s.f. of commercial space

Community 2.0 overwrites 1.0 Community 2.0 overwrites 1.0

Photo: Seven Dials, courtesy of Ben Hamilton-Baillie

Photo: Congress for the New Urbanism Archives

Community 2.0 establishes new standardsCommunity 2.0 establishes new standards

Image: Leon Krier: Congress for the New Urbanism Archives

Community 3.0 (articulated as renegade reform vision in 1970s)Community 3.0 (articulated as renegade reform vision in 1970s)

Photo: courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Community 3.0 (New Urbanism 1982- )Community 3.0 (New Urbanism 1982- )

Against big odds, Seaside, Florida emerges as New Urbanism’s first built example in early 1980s .


Community 3.0Community 3.0

Models for walkable, livable neighborhoods from the rural fringe to the dense urban core.


Community 3.0Community 3.0

Where implemented, New Urbanism is embraced by market: I’On near Charleston, S.C, Harbor Town, Memphis.

Photo: TK for Moule Polyzoides; CNU Charter Awards Archive

Community 3.1 transit-oriented developmentCommunity 3.1 transit-oriented development

Del Mar Village, Pasadena, CA; Rockville Town Square, Rockville, MD

Photo: (l) Robert Taylor Homes by Lobstar28 via Flickr (cc), Chatham Square by Boris Feldbluym, CNU Charter Awards Archives

Community 3.2 re-conceiving public housing as mixed-income neighborhoodsCommunity 3.2 re-conceiving public housing as mixed-income neighborhoods

Robert Taylor Homes, Chicago; Chatham Square Hope VI, Alexandria, VA

Photo: City of Vancouver, Congress for the New Urbanism Archives

Community 3.3 green neighborhood developmentCommunity 3.3 green neighborhood development

Leed Platinum-rated Southeast False Creek (Olympic village), Vancouver

Community 3.3 establishing new standardsCommunity 3.3 establishing new standards

“For the first time in the history of federal grant competitions, I want to announce today that HUD will be using location efficiency to score our grant applications.

"Using the LEED-ND green neighborhood rating system that CNU developed in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, it’s time that that federal dollars stopped encouraging sprawl and started lowering the barriers to the kind of sustainable development our country needs our communities want.

And with $3.25 billion at stake in these competitions, that’s exactly what they will start to do

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, May 21, 2010

“For the first time in the history of federal grant competitions, I want to announce today that HUD will be using location efficiency to score our grant applications.

"Using the LEED-ND green neighborhood rating system that CNU developed in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, it’s time that that federal dollars stopped encouraging sprawl and started lowering the barriers to the kind of sustainable development our country needs our communities want.

And with $3.25 billion at stake in these competitions, that’s exactly what they will start to do

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, May 21, 2010


Community 3.4 suburban retrofitsCommunity 3.4 suburban retrofits

Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia


Community 3.5 Sustainable regions of livable communitiesCommunity 3.5 Sustainable regions of livable communities

Choices for future growth presented in Louisiana Speaks Plan for Southern Louisiana

New UrbanismNew Urbanism

New Urbanism maximizes the connection between people and their neighborhood — connecting people to jobs, nature, shops, services and, most importantly, to each other.

As Communities 2.0 have become the standard, the amount of driving by U.S. households has swelled.

The average U.S. household logs 21,250 miles per year in

car trips.

That’s more than 85% of the distance around the earth

each year.

As Communities 2.0 have become the standard, the amount of driving by U.S. households has swelled.

The average U.S. household logs 21,250 miles per year in

car trips.

That’s more than 85% of the distance around the earth

each year.

New UrbanismLocation Efficient Infrastructure/Service Efficient Healthier & Safer Enduring Tax Base


28

Images from the film Built to Last: courtesy of FirstandMain.tv



Navigating Community 2.0:

29

Images from the film Built to Last: courtesy of FirstandMain.tv



Navigating New Urbanism:



Residents of livable

mixed-use neighborhoods live

more active and healthy lifestyles

— and don’t need to drive as much. Peer-reviewed research

shows they can average 2/3, even

1/2 as much driving as those in spread-out auto-oriented

communities.

Residents of livable

mixed-use neighborhoods live

more active and healthy lifestyles

— and don’t need to drive as much. Peer-reviewed research

shows they can average 2/3, even

1/2 as much driving as those in spread-out auto-oriented

communities.



Developed with support

from the Brookings Institution, this project

from the Center for Neighborhood Technology

features the most advanced, peer-reviewed database for measuring

how driving patterns vary across regions. It matches

data from U.S. Census surveys to characteristics

such as density, street pattern, use mix, income

and transit service.

Developed with support

from the Brookings Institution, this project

from the Center for Neighborhood Technology

features the most advanced, peer-reviewed database for measuring

how driving patterns vary across regions. It matches

data from U.S. Census surveys to characteristics

such as density, street pattern, use mix, income

and transit service.

Average household drives 13,629 miles per year.

$763 monthly transportation costs in 2000. $981 per month in 2008.





Here’s what it shows:

Dacula, GeorgiaDacula, Georgia Decatur, GeorgiaDecatur, Georgia

Savings = $260 to $330 per month

Average household drives 9811 miles per year.

$ 690 monthly transportation costs in 2000. $795 per month in 2008.





Here’s what it shows:

Highland Creek, Charlotte, NCHighland Creek, Charlotte, NC Dilworth, Charlotte, NCDilworth, Charlotte, NC



Often overlooked during the housing bubble as people sought more house for their money in far-flung “drive-till-you-qualify” locations, transportation costs are a household’s second largest household expense. The housing crisis showed: Lower transportation costs in your community mean fewer families in distress, fewer foreclosures and a more stable values.

But there’s more…

Photos via Flickr (CC): Huazhi and Willamor Media.

Neighborhoods may someday come with fuel economy stickers



Local and regional governments are big beneficiaries of location efficiency :


Station 31 serves 5779 households in 8 square miles.

Station 2 serves 26,930 households in 14 square miles.



Local and regional governments are big beneficiaries of location efficiency :


New Urbanism Location Efficient Infrastructure/Service Efficient Healthier & Safer Enduring Tax Base


Cities save tax dollars with location-efficient neighborhoods:


Charlotte pays $740 per person per year in life cycle costs for Station 31.

Charlotte pays $159 per person per year in life cycle costs for Station 2.



Charlotte’s most recent mayors have been supporters of New Urbanism.



Infrastructure runs better on New Urbanism: EPA head-to-head study (2010).

The EPA study compared sprawl vs. new urbanist development plans for a 750 acre site in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (outside Charleston) and for a 575-acre site north of Phoenix.



Infrastructure runs better on New Urbanism: EPA head-to-head study (2010).

“When comparing CSD scenarios to alternative TND designs, the study found that infrastructure costs for the TND scenarios were consistently less than CSD. Reductions in infrastructure costs due to TND development patterns ranged from 32 to 47%, with the extent of TND cost savings based principally on density.”



Other EPA Study Takeaways:

•”Utilization of lower density CSD development patterns requires additional land acquisition spending compared to a compact TND with the same development program.”

•”The same TND infrastructure framework can support much higher densities due to the interconnected transportation network, mixing of uses, and parking efficiencies.”

Read full report at www.morrisbeacon.com.



New Urbanism dramatically reduces the stormwater impact of new development:

Photo courtesy of Morris Beacon Design.

TND alternatives generated an average of 55% less runoff per unit than comparable CSD alternatives - before the introduction of engineered BMPS.

TND alternatives generated an average of 55% less runoff per unit than comparable CSD alternatives - before the introduction of engineered BMPS.



“Every day as I go to work I see people walking on absolutely unsuitable pedestrian infrastructure. For me as a doctor, this is like looking at somebody with high blood pressure who’s not taking his or her medicine... Transit-friendly communities get their full daily requirement of daily activity simply by walking to and from the transit stops.” -- Dr. Howard Frumkin, Special Assistant to the CDC Director

for Climate and Health, Honorary Chair of CNU 18

“Every day as I go to work I see people walking on absolutely unsuitable pedestrian infrastructure. For me as a doctor, this is like looking at somebody with high blood pressure who’s not taking his or her medicine... Transit-friendly communities get their full daily requirement of daily activity simply by walking to and from the transit stops.” -- Dr. Howard Frumkin, Special Assistant to the CDC Director

for Climate and Health, Honorary Chair of CNU 18



“[New urbanist] neighborhoods like Glenwood incorporate many of the features that we increasingly recognize promote good health. More physical activity. More social interaction, helping to build community -- that is something that is very good for health. Less driving, which improves the air quality. Less driving, which reduces the risk of being in car crashes.” -- Dr. Howard Frumkin, Honorary Chair of CNU 18

“[New urbanist] neighborhoods like Glenwood incorporate many of the features that we increasingly recognize promote good health. More physical activity. More social interaction, helping to build community -- that is something that is very good for health. Less driving, which improves the air quality. Less driving, which reduces the risk of being in car crashes.” -- Dr. Howard Frumkin, Honorary Chair of CNU 18

Davis, CA14 % of people ride to work



Research by Norman Garrick and Wes Marshall, professors of transportation engineering at University of Connecticut and University or Denver.

Davis, CA

Road Fatality Rate: 1 per 100,000



Road Fatality Rate for All 157 California Cities Over 40,000

number per 100,000 population

0.0

17.3



Road Fatality Rate for All 157 California Cities Over 40,000

number per 100,000 population





Among the mid-sized California cities they studied, professors Garrick and Marshall discovered distinct groups of traffic safe cities like Davis and less-safe cities like Irvine.Among the mid-sized California cities they studied, professors Garrick and Marshall discovered distinct groups of traffic safe cities like Davis and less-safe cities like Irvine.

Safer CitiesAlamedaBerkeleyCupertinoSan Luis ObisboSanta BarbaraSanta Cruz

Less Safe CitiesAlamedaBerkeleyCupertinoSan Luis ObisboSanta BarbaraSanta Cruz

Image adapted from Stephen Marshall

Pre-1950’s Post-1950’s

Evolution of the Street Network



The group of safer cities wound up having older street networks with more connected urban streets. The less-safe cities had newer networks with cul-de-sacs, collector and arterial networks — the infrastructure of Community 2.0.

The group of safer cities wound up having older street networks with more connected urban streets. The less-safe cities had newer networks with cul-de-sacs, collector and arterial networks — the infrastructure of Community 2.0.

Images: Keep Houston Houston (l), LEED for Neighborhood Development (r)



Community 3.0: Connected network creates short direct routes, efficient multi-directional travel for people and cars.

Community 3.0: Connected network creates short direct routes, efficient multi-directional travel for people and cars.

Community 2.0: Cul-de-sac pattern extends walking distances to impractical lengths, funnels car traffic to unsafe high-volume arterials.

Community 2.0: Cul-de-sac pattern extends walking distances to impractical lengths, funnels car traffic to unsafe high-volume arterials.

Images: Keep Houston Houston (l), LEED for Neighborhood Development (r)



Measuring Community 3.0: More intersections per square mile (140 or higher) .

Measuring Community 3.0: More intersections per square mile (140 or higher) .

Measuring Community 2.0: Few intersections per square mile (usually 70 or less).

Measuring Community 2.0: Few intersections per square mile (usually 70 or less).



Among the mid-sized California cities they studied, professors Garrick and Marshall discovered distinct groups of traffic safe cities like Davis and less-safe cities like Irvine.Among the mid-sized California cities they studied, professors Garrick and Marshall discovered distinct groups of traffic safe cities like Davis and less-safe cities like Irvine.

Scenes from Sprawlanta, part 1 of the American Makeover web series (First + Main Media).



With so much traffic funneled into arterial thoroughfares, engineers for Community 2.0 make these streets wider and wider (left). Crosswalks are spaced so widely that people put their lives at risk playing “Frogger” to cross the street.

New urbanist neighborhoods (Community 3.0) rely on interconnected networks that distribute traffic more equally. Major thoroughfares don’t need to be so wide and feature inviting sidewalks and public amenities. Small blocks make for frequent, convenient and safe crosswalks.



Eric Dumbaugh, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University, has studied the safety impact of high-volume arterials compared to New Urbanism’s livable streets:

Arterials roads are associated with increased crash risks for all users, regardless of mode.•14% increase in multiple-vehicle crashes.•10% increase in pedestrian crashes.•8.4% increase in bicyclist crashes.

Per vehicle mile traveled, livable streets reported:• 40% fewer midblock crashes than roadway averages.• 67% fewer roadside crashes than roadway averages.



More from Eric Dumbaugh:

Each additional arterial-oriented commercial use is associated with:a 2.4% increase in multiple-vehicle crashes • a 3.0% increase in pedestrian crashes • a 1.7% increase in vehicle-cyclist crashes.

Each big box store is associated with:•an 8.7% increase in multiple-vehicle crashes • an 8.9% increase in pedestrian crashes • a 4.6% increase in cyclist crashes.

Each pedestrian-scaled retail use is associated with:•a 3.4% decrease in multiple-vehicle crashes •a 1.6% decrease in pedestrian crashes • a negative but statistically insignificant effect on bicyclist crashes.



Image: Urban Advantage for LEED-ND

Using the principles of New Urbanism, it’s now possible to transform automobile-dependent strips into walkable corridors. Using the principles of New Urbanism, it’s now possible to transform automobile-dependent strips into walkable corridors.



Image: Urban Advantage for LEED-ND

•These streets are convenient for all users — pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers.•They serve the three functions expected of streets from Roman times to mid 20th century: places of travel, places of commerce, and public meeting places. •They function best as parts of highly connected networks that distribute traffic evenly and efficiently.

•These streets are convenient for all users — pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers.•They serve the three functions expected of streets from Roman times to mid 20th century: places of travel, places of commerce, and public meeting places. •They function best as parts of highly connected networks that distribute traffic evenly and efficiently.

Photo: Lake Oswego, Oregon; courtesy of Dan Burden

A CDC health assessment impact determined that converting 2.4 miles of an Atlanta-area high-volume arterial into a pedestrian-friendly street would cost $10 million but yield $47 million in societal savings (ie. reduced health care costs, emergency response) over 20 years.)

Source: Candace Rutt, CDC

A CDC health assessment impact determined that converting 2.4 miles of an Atlanta-area high-volume arterial into a pedestrian-friendly street would cost $10 million but yield $47 million in societal savings (ie. reduced health care costs, emergency response) over 20 years.)

Source: Candace Rutt, CDC



Photo: M.VJantzen via Flickr (CC)





January 9, 2010

The New York Times quoted a study by Joe Cortright for CEOs for Cities: “They found that in many ways, the street corner beats the cul de sac...The study found that houses with above-average Walk Scores commanded a premium. It was as much as $30,000 in cities like Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Sacramento and San Francisco, wrote Cortright, an economist at Impresa, a consulting firm in Portland, Ore."

The study looked at the sales of 90,000 homes in 15 markets to estimate how much value was associated with better Walk Scores. Using a 100-point scale, this score rates the number of destinations, including libraries, parks and coffee shops, within walking distance of a home..



The Times got the chief economist Stan Humphries at Zillow.com to see what happened during the downturn. In the not-so-walkable Seattle suburb where he lives, Sammamish (Walk Score 29) average home values are down 21 percent from their peak in 2007. Prices fell 14 percent in the centrally located Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle, (Walk Score 89) — a decline comparable to that of other more urban neighborhoods of the city.

Using Zillow data, Humphries looked at concentric circles of major metropolitan areas and it generally held true that property values closer to the city center held up better

Image via Zillow

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

http://Zillow.com/

Image: Sankt Erik infill development, Stockholm



By putting land to

use more efficiently — with a high-quality public realm and higher-

density development

— New Urbanism boosts assessed

value while boosting quality of

life.

By putting land to

use more efficiently — with a high-quality public realm and higher-

density development

— New Urbanism boosts assessed

value while boosting quality of

life.

Image: Actually Mayfair Mall, Wauwatosa; right courtesy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinal



Bayshore Mall becomes Bayshore Town Center:

Glendale, WI put up $58 million in TIF-financed bonds for infrastructure and site prep. Developer adds mixed-use – housing, offices, entertainment, fine-dining restaurants.

Image: Actually Mayfair Mall, Wauwatosa; right courtesy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinal



Bayshore Mall Bayshore Town Center

Assessed value in 2002: $73.7 million

Assessed value in 2010: $329.8 million

Photo: M.VJantzen via Flickr (CC)



Learn more about principles and tools for implementing New Urbanism in your community at cnu.org.

New Urbanism: Just. Performs. Better.

new urbanism: just... performs...better

Real Estate