Archive for master planned communities

The New Economy 3 of 3

Posted in Comprehensive Planning and Codes, Sustainability, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism with tags , , , , , , on April 4, 2011 by John Olson

This is the third in a series of three blog posts where I have provided my projections of development as they relate to: Master Planned Communities; Government’s Role in Development; New Urbanism; Transportation; and Homeownership.

So what is the “new economy?” The phrase has become main stream since the light bulb went off for the country when the “old economy” reached its pinnacle and came to a crash landing with the collapse of Wall Street. As the United States pulls itself out from our over-consumptive ways of the early 2000’s, we have struggled to come to grips with what is next for us.

Homeownership: Homeownership in the “old economy” was as common as a two-car household. It was easy to purchase a home and hang on to it for the expected duration of living in it. Adjustable mortgages were common and seemingly feasible to many who planned to sell before the rates were adjusted. According to the US Census, in 2002 the duration of residence for a person 15 years old and over was only 4.7 years, which declined from 5.2 years in 1996.

A home in Bradburn Village in Westminster, Colorado involves something much greater than an investment.

The question is what the expectation of the house will be with the prospect of selling the home after five years? Will the purchaser demand more from the individual home and what its neighborhood entails? Will the purchaser decide to purchase a home that can be easily adapted to another use, such as an office or for a low maintenance rental property? I believe that the answer is yes on both accounts. Purchasing a home can no longer be considered an option for many, and for those who have the option, the selection process will be much longer and it will be considered a home first, investment second. This can, and I believe it will, be very positive for the future of our neighborhoods. The sense of community is lost in the monolithic subdivisions where the home is considered a stepping stone to something better in the future. When the homeowner has the intention of living in the home for longer periods, they become much more involved in their neighborhood, creating a true sense of community. (Related Article by the National Journal titled “A House is a Home“ states “We didn’t buy our house for an investment; that’s what our investments are for. Our house is to live in.”)

In summary of my projections of the new economy, I believe that all has happened for a reason economically and the world will be a better place because of it. Consider it to be a “time-out” with the end result as a much more civilized and prosperous future.

The New Economy 1 of 3; The New Economy 2 of 3

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The New Economy 2 of 3

Posted in Comprehensive Planning and Codes, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2011 by John Olson

This is the second in a series of three blog posts where I have provided my projections of development as they relate to: Master Planned Communities; Government’s Role in Development; New Urbanism; Transportation; and Homeownership.

So what is the “new economy”? The phrase has become main stream since the light bulb went off for the country when the “old economy” reached its pinnacle and came to a crash landing with the collapse of Wall Street. As the United States pulls itself out from our over-consumptive ways of the early 2000’s, we have struggled to come to grips with what is next for us.

A component of the Denver's Highlands Garden Village is a well-used Co-Housing Community.

 New Urbanism: Over the past few months, I have heard statements about the “death of new urbanism”. I find this statement to be absolutely incorrect, and those who have made this statement did not have an understanding of the breadth of all that is encompassed within new urbanism. The misguided preconception of “new urbanism” may actually be dead. But that misguided preconception of new urbanism (the idea that it was the practice of Colonial architecture located without context of its greater region) is not at all what “new urbanism” is. I like to refer to the Charter of the New Urbanism and its principles, where an important principle that is often glazed over is “Architecture and landscape design should grow from local climate, topography, history, and building practice.”

Several aspects of the new urbanism are very much necessary to our society, as it requires a certain level of self-reliance, or sustainability, in the “new economy”. Infill will be greatly necessary, and ultimately to provide a resilient place, structures and the surrounding built environment will need to be adaptable and loveable, as stated by Architect and Urbanist Steve Mouzon in his book The Original Green.

Transportation: Many believe that there is a trigger point for gas prices in which our society becomes less dependent. Some say that it is $5 per gallon, others say that $4 per gallon, and yet just two days ago I heard $7 is the magic number. Personally, I’m not convinced that there is a trigger number. I believe that it is the prolonged effect that people eventually realize how much that they are spending that becomes the factor. I am a numbers person, so the calculations of how much of my time and income that get devoted to the automobile were the factor that changed my lifestyle and ultimately where I chose to live. Time was actually more of a factor than money for me. For more on my transportation realizations, read CNT Includes Transportation as a Variable for Measuring Affordability.

The New Economy 1 of 3; The New Economy 3 of 3

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The New Economy 1 of 3

Posted in Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism with tags , , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2011 by John Olson
So what is the “new economy?” The phrase has become main stream since the light bulb went off for the country when the “old economy” reached its pinnacle and came to a crash landing with the collapse of Wall Street. As the United States pulls itself out from our over-consumptive ways of the early 2000’s, we have struggled to come to grips with what is next for us.

The development industry may have been hit the hardest, or at least so it seems from the eyes of someone whose livelihood depended on it. Many companies have dissolved. Others grasped at anything and everything to hold on. Many individuals working for larger companies have moved on to other industries. We have all become overwhelmed with major life-changing decisions. Perhaps this is a part of the equilibrium of civilization. Let’s face it, the United States development industry had grown to an uncomfortable size until eventually it had to pop. Perhaps attrition is the best way to describe what happened, and in hindsight, maybe what had to happen.

In the following blog posts, I am going to provide some of my projections of development. These projections will be provided as follows: Master Planned Communities; Government’s Role in Development; New Urbanism; Transportation; and Homeownership.

This is one of the many suburban neighborhoods that started construction in the "old economy". Original Aerial courtesy of Bing.

Master Planned Communities: Some argue that the days of Master Planned Developments are behind us as a civilization. Personally, I do not believe this to be true. The scale of new Master Planned Developments will certainly decrease for at least a decade or more. The coming years will involve adaptation of the existing stock of Master Planned Communities across the country. Lot patterns, densities and character of the communities will undergo an adaptation phase in which current market conditions are better suited. As an example, in the “old economy,” development pods may have consisted of “neighborhood retail” and “condominiums”. If you work in the development industry today, you know that financing is difficult overall, but especially for condominiums. You also know that most cities are oversaturated with retail and many communities were master planned with ideologies of the “old economy”.

Governments Role in Development: Speaking of ideologies, one of mine would be a statement that regulations and codes in all of our communities will be better suited for market fluctuations. That is, Government provides a smaller role in the development process through a more simplified and predictable outcome. The number of steps, expenses and time for today’s development review will be simplified, ala form-based codes. This statement though, is still ideological for many cash-strapped communities that generally budget and forecast for the near term, not for the big picture. But I will remain optimistic.

The New Economy 2 of 3; The New Economy 3 of 3

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