Why Are We Building this Stuff Anyway?
by Dan Reuter, AICP, GPA President
For many years’ planners, sometimes prodded by citizens or elected officials, have tinkered with building and housing issues with few or no good reasons in mind. We have regulated house sizes, density, materials or design and often may not know why we do it or what may be the long term implications. As an example, many local governments have sought to limit the availability of apartments. We believe almost everyone should be a home owner and communities are thereby better served without apartments. The negative perceptions are that apartments have persons with lower incomes, too many children, or don’t pay enough taxes. Studies of apartment residents often show that apartment dwellers are surprisingly affluent and actually have fewer children per unit than singe family homeowners
The over-reliance on single-family housing and ownership may have come full circle with the recent trend of foreclosures in Georgia. Even affordable housing advocates will tell you that not all citizens need to be seeking home ownership. Some types of families, incomes, etc. are probably better served as renters. Some individuals and periods of life are preferable as renters.
Considering the last 5 years of foreclosures in metro Atlanta and Georgia, I would argue home ownership as a community building concept has lost some of it’s shine. More than 200,000 foreclosures occurred in the 10 county metro Atlanta area, many of them as the result of “sub-prime mortgage” lending practices. Many counties saw a 200% or more increase in foreclosures during this time.
You can find out much more on this issue in a new foreclosure summary “Snapshot” document at: www.atlantaregional.com/cps/rde/xbcr/arc/foreclosuresnapshot.pdf Consider the long term impacts of sometimes poorly constructed and vacant homes left for long periods in neighborhoods and rental housing starts to look pretty good.
Planners permit, restrict and otherwise tinker with building standards and the housing market often not knowing the long term impacts to our communities. Developers and builder propose new projects and we often evaluate each project on an individual basis without knowing the cumulative impact or benchmarking new projects against goals for housing in the community. We have housing components in our comprehensive plans but we have not put in place methods to determine if the housing permitted will meet the long terms needs of the city or county.
I suggest as planners we consider the following items. First, the private sector will build a lot more housing over next 20 years. This housing is a basic community need and building block of communities that is not entirely market driven. Local government regulations, buyers needs and construction costs impact what is built. Do we really understand what housing types, sizes and quality of housing we have permitted and the private sector has built? Do we know what housing should be built now based on future needs including sizes, locations, costs? Does the private sector really know what housing is needed or do they just build what sold last week or what they could get financing to build?
Is traffic congestion in the county a result of jobs and housing not being matched well in many locations? Can we achieve better jobs/housing match? Can we permit more housing in areas with most of the jobs? Can we design and build communities with connected greenspace, recreational opportunities and amenities or retail uses within walking distance versus permitting more subdivisions?
Why do we promote exclusive communities and exclusionary zoning requirements? Do we care about the housing needs of senior citizens or persons with disabilities? Do we still fear density not realizing that land prices and consumer preferences are demanding other options? What is more important low density housing with more traffic congestion or high standards for building a real community with long term value?
Can we achieve communities that have housing for all individuals, families, life cycles and incomes? Or is every county in a race to permit only the most expensive housing that the market will bear? Do we know the incomes and housing needs of the 75% of the jurisdiction citizens that are not affluent?
The private sector does not and cannot be expected to think about the long term needs of the community for housing or specific needs. The private sector does a great job of mass-producing standard types of housing and local governments support this through infrastructure and services. Local governments must stop being skeptical and creating barriers for housing that has new designs, materials, smaller units and mixed-use development. We need to understand and provide more incentives to build the housing that our citizens and communities need and less time willingly or unknowingly permitting what developers and builders think will sell.
APA Urban Design and Preservation Division Design Forum
On June 14th, the Design Forum Series continues with guest speaker Mark L. Hinshaw, FAIA, FAICP, presenting "Planners and Their Role in Urban Design".
The series is supported by the GPA.
For more info please download the Event PDF HERE |
Though there a number of conservation subdivision ordinances on the books in the State, many developers have been reluctant to use this innovative tool to establish them on the ground, until the Ocmulgee Site & Environmental Services, Inc. came to Perry. Lead by President Lance Woods and Vice-Presidents Chad Bryant and Marty McLeod and annexation and zoning specialist Lindsay Bailey, this one-year old consulting firm is a big proponent of the conservation subdivision concept. In early 2006, Ocmulgee make a presentation on conservation subdivisions to the public works and planning and zoning officials from Houston County, and the Cities of Centerville, Perry and Warner Robins. After hearing the presentation, the City of Perry lead by at that time City Planner Mike Beecham and Community Development Director Steve Howard took this idea and embraced it. Within a few short months, the City of Perry adopted a new conservation subdivision ordinance. Ocmulgee currently has several subdivisions underway using the new ordinance. It is hoped that very soon, that Houston County and the Cities of Centerville and Warner Robins will also adopt similar ordinances.