While New Urbanism seems to have caught on in and around Atlanta, high home prices mean that the average homebuyer isn't benefiting.
A reporter surveys the housing options in several New Urbanist communities around Atlanta, only to discover that the vast majority are unaffordable to the average homebuyer.
"The majority of New Urbanists make it very clear that they care deeply about the problem and want to explore ways of rectifying it. But somewhere between putting the idea of New Urbanism on paper and marketing it as a lifestyle in the housing market, the society-building principles of the Charter for the New Urbanism have become lost in the shuffle. Market driven developers have scrambled to build compact urban centers that offer homes at prices unaffordable to most Americans, and offer no place to live at all for those who work in and help maintain the community. The false realities that these communities promote do no justice to the social concepts New Urbanists are trying to develop."
"The idea works on a grassroots level and the traditional neighborhood development plan is a success in the housing market, but it seems that the people who would benefit from it the most simply cannot afford it. So, middle-class America will have to wait for an affordable New Urbanism. Eventually the two must meet in the middle. In order for New Urbanism to succeed as a set of social principles and a platform for well rounded communities in the future, the movement will need middle income America as much as the average American will need a decent place to live and work."
FULL STORY: Can We Afford New Urbanism?
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
