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posts tagged "urban planning"

Wal Mart v. Mixed Use. Debate continues…

Posted on July 16, 2010 by David Leazenby

There is a great summary of a presentation by Peter Katz over at Citiwire.net. In it he provides the amount of property tax revenue received to a community by a Wal-Mart, a regional mall, and a mixed use building. On a per acre basis, it makes a very good case for communities to seek more compact, mixed-use development. Not only are their long term sustainability benefits to residents, there are real short term fiscal solutions to city coffers. Think about it… how much tax does a parking spot pay? How many are out there?

This entry was posted in Retail, Sustainability and tagged urban planning, property taxes, wal mart

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Obama administration working toward mixed use

Posted on June 24, 2010 by David Leazenby

mixed-use-donovanYou may have seen the biggest endorsement of mixed use in the history of America last month when HUD secretary, Shaun Donovan, announced the federal government’s new policy to use “location efficiency” to score grant applications. Going forward HUD will consider LEED-ND and related factors such as proximity to transit and higher densities in its allocation of project funding (now projected at $3Billion for 2010). Never before has the federal government so clearly aligned the notion of efficient land use planning and allocation of money. The best part is that HUD is working on defining parameters for lenders based on certain urban metrics. We’re still figuring out the implications to the projects that we are planning, but we do know that this will have major implications for rebuilding neighborhoods and cities across America. It appears the public subsidies for sprawl have begun to shift in the opposite direction. A good summary of the announcement and related thoughts can be found in this Fast Company piece from May 21st. A full copy of Mr. Donovan’s remarks can be found at the Congress for the New Urbanism.

This entry was tagged urban planning, HUD, new urbanism, Shaun Donovan, sprawl, urban development

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How do you prepare for 100 Million more people?

Posted on June 09, 2010 by David Leazenby

mixed-use-100-millionI spent an hour with some Ball State University students this morning discussing the role of planners in development. These students are a fortunate group, as the job growth for planners through 2018 is projected at 19% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and it is cited as one of the top 50 careers for 2010 by US News & World Report. It’s no wonder since America will add about 100 Million people by 2050. These young planners are currently studying how best to plan the communities where your kids and all of their new friends will live in the future. It’s a difficult task.

The real estate development industry should be very interested in what they are learning. We should be working alongside them and sharing information. They will be planning the cities and neighborhoods in which we want to build new buildings, and they are reading up on mixed use development and urban infill. They’re learning that their Generation Y, with 86 Million people aged 15-28, will be the driving force of purchasing decisions in our new economy.

We need to support and be involved in the more than 70 accredited planning schools around the country. Its in everyone’s best interest that these students are fully prepared for the dynamic changes that are taking place in demographics, spending patterns, technology, energy, government regulations and real estate investments. I learn as much from my visits with planning students as I do networking with peers, and I bet you would find the same. I would encourage other developers to get involved in whatever planning school you have nearby. You can see a list of them here.

This entry was posted in Education and tagged mixed use, urban planning, Ball State, CAP, demographics, education, infill

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What is mixed use development? – Part Two

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Milhaus Development

Mixed use development stands in direct contrast to the single use, suburban development patterns found in most parts of America. In fact, it is illegal to mix uses under most zoning ordinances, stemming in part from the Supreme Court case of Euclid v. Ambler in 1926. Since this landmark case, other factors have also contributed to single use development in America, including more affordable car transportation and rising incomes. Cars gave people the physical freedom to cover more ground in the same time as walking or transit. Higher incomes provided the option to move out of the city, buy a bigger home and own a car. Although much of the American landscape over the last 80 years has experienced growth in a single use development pattern, there are good examples of mixed use projects as well. We intend to feature as many as we can in future posts. We also invite others to suggest notable buildings and projects for their contribution to neighborhoods and cities.

There are two different categories of mixed use development that will be discussed on this site – horizontal and vertical. In practice both are considered to be “mixed use.” While both types may include the same uses, they function very differently. The type of mixed use discussed in Part One of this post is vertical, which includes mixing different uses within the same building, ie. office, retail and residential. The second type, which is more common in suburban environments, includes mixing uses within a project. For example, a retail shopping mall site that includes apartments and office buildings next to it. Although none of the uses are integrated into one building, the place itself can be designed so that the different uses are well integrated. Both types really provide similar benefits, but it is important to recognize the distinction, as they require different programming, design and execution by developers. Perhaps there are other nuances learned by others. Please share your thoughts here.

This entry was posted in Our Philosophy and tagged mixed use development, Milhaus, urban planning

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