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Sprawlfighting in San Jose

Posted by: Tim Halbur
Thanks to: Center for Transit-Oriented Development
18 August 2008 - 2:00pm

San José, California, after decades of sprawl that left the region one of the least-dense cities in the state, is on track to densify their underused areas. As one planner put it, "The decision was, let's not build out anymore, let's build up."

"Strip malls and low-rise office parks dominate the landscape of northern San Jose, but a long-term redevelopment plan could make over large swaths of the area along decidedly more urban lines.

Over the next three decades, the city wants to add more than 30,000 new homes and 80,000 jobs within walking distance of a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light-rail line on North First Street.

Planners, architects and environmentalists applauded the approach during a tour Saturday of recent developments exemplifying the model in the area. They argued that compact and transit-oriented building is among the most effective means of reducing driving, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and creating better functioning cities."

Full Story: San Jose leaders try to reverse urban sprawl
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle, August 17, 2008
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All of that only scratches the surface of what's wrong with this study. The idea that complex urban development patterns and human behavior can be meaningfully studied according to one primary criteria — density — is wrong from the start.
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