Nation's Cities - January 30, 2012

2 NATION’S CITIES WEEKLY
January 30, 2012

REFLECTING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
A Time of Transformation in Housing and Transportation

by James Brooks
People who earn large
cash profits from developing
residential and commercial
real estate suggest that retir-
ing baby-boomers and young
couples with or without chil-
dren want to live in walkable,
mixed-use neighborhoods. “We
in real estate are fundamentally
re-tooling how we design, plan,
regulate and finance to serve
this pent-up demand,” says
land use developer and strate-
gist Chris Leinberger.

Housing

A principle factor driving the
supply and demand expecta-
tions about housing is simple
demographics. Eighty million
Americans make up the baby-
boom generation (born 1946-
1964), and, as of January 1,
2011, 10,000 baby-boomers are
reaching age 65 each day. This
will continue until December
30, 2030. These retirees are liv-
ing longer, healthier and more
active lives than their prede-
cessors. For them, retirement
is about continuing an “active
lifestyle,” which by definition
requires easy access to shop-
ping, dining, entertainment and
portals to global destinations.
This translates into deci-
sions by many to swap the
3,500-square-foot detached
single-family house in a first- or
second-tier suburb for a smaller
townhouse or condominium
nearer to the urban core.
At the other end of the age
spectrum are the singles and
couples in their 20s. Many are
college graduates or have earned
Master’s degrees. At present,
this group makes up a large
portion of the unemployed or
underemployed, which is par-
ticularly unsettling given that
many also are carrying consid-
erable student loan debt and
have little if any savings. As a
result, Generation Y has been
slow to form new households.
However, as employment
of this group increases, as it
undoubtedly will despite the
ravages of the Great Recession,
these young people will gravi-
tate to the employment centers
that offer the complete package
of work, live and play. They
will want access to public tran-
sit and bike lanes and prefer
walkable lively streets with a
suitable mix of retail and social
venues all interconnected with
Wi-Fi. What they will need in
the immediate future is solid,
safe, affordable rental housing.

Transportation

If the decisions about where
and how people live are chang-
ing, then the critical related
issue is how people will move
among the places they wish to
frequent — jobs, homes, retail
centers, entertainment and cul-
tural venues.
For decades state and nation-
al transportation policy has
focused on development of a
highway network that supports
automobile transportation,
often to the detriment of the
other modes that comprise the
total surface transportation sys-
tem.
However, the costs of solo
driving, Americans’ true nation-
al pastime, are accelerating.
High gas prices (the average
price nationwide for a gallon
of self-serve regular gasoline on
January 20 was $3.38, accord-
ing to AAA) are a contributing
factor that is altering the urban
housing markets by reducing
demand for development out-
side of metro areas and increas-
ing demand in areas closer to
the urban core.
In this set of conditions, the
principles of “smart growth”
continue to gather greater atten-
tion. Accelerated by economic
pressures the new pattern of
land use characterized by fewer
and shorter automobile trips,
lower energy consumption and
reduced greenhouse gas emis-
sions has spurred planning
that accommodates mixed-use
development and transportation
investment that provides more
travel options.

Resources for Local
Leaders

In surveying this landscape,
NLC’s programming is aligned
to provide resources for city offi-
cials that help them exercise the
necessary leadership to position
their communities effectively in
the face of these housing and
mobility trends.
In the area of housing and
neighborhoods, strong empha-
sis in the near-term is being
placed on housing preserva-
tion and rehabilitation as key
aspects of neighborhood stabil-
ity. Subsidiary issues include
maintaining and reusing vacant
property, invigorating commu-
nity life at the sidewalk level and
expanding housing and mobility
options.
For the long term (2013-14),
projects will evolve beyond sta-
bilization to supporting respon-
sible housing and neighborhood
reinvestment and revitalization.
Activities will stress:
• Deliberate citizen
inclusion to help shape problem
assessments and sustainable out-
comes;

• Mixed housing options
(ownership, shared-equity, rent-
al);

• Mobility strategies that
reduce automobile dependence;
and
• Employment and
entrepreneurship opportunities
that retain money in the com-
munity.

Details: To learn more
about NLC’s efforts to help cit-
ies and city leaders respond to
evolving trends in housing and
transportation, contact the pro-
gram director for community
development and infrastructure
at brooks@nlc.org.

Nation’s Cities Weekly
Volume 35, Number 4 | ISSN 0164-5935 | January 30, 2012

Official publication of the National League of Cities
Helping City Leaders Build Better Communities
Donald J. Borut, Executive Director
Publisher: Donald J. Borut; Editor: Amy Elsbree; Managing Editor:
Cyndy Liedtke Hogan; Writer/Editor: Sandi Burtseva; Coordinator,
Editorial Services: Laura Turner
Advertising Information: Contact Laura Turner at the National League
of Cities; Phone: 202-626-3040;

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