Successful Metropolitan Areas Prioritize Proximity

Brookings buils on the findings of recent research about jobs densification in cities around the country to make a larger point about the benefits of proximity in urban design, as compared to sprawl.

2 minute read

June 26, 2019, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The Bronx

pisaphotography / Shutterstock

"New research from the Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings confirms that when it comes to site selection, American businesses continue to value proximity."

Adie Tomer, Joseph W. Kane, and Lara Fishbane write to explain the findings of the research referenced above, tying transportation and land use planning to the discussion as the "ultimate enablers of proximity."

"The character of our urban form—including density, permitted use in buildings, and transportation designs—will either promote closer proximity or push economic activity further apart. And despite the best efforts of many business and civic leaders, the prevailing transportation model in the United States downplays distance and focuses too much on traffic," according to the article.

Earlier this month, Planetizen picked up the news of the research cited here, but the current article more explicitly ties the findings of the study to planning policies and more explicitly appeals for a shift toward less car-oriented sprawl.

"We propose a new model: prioritizing human-scale proximity and the shorter-distance travel it promotes," according to the article, before laying out a list of five benefits to more proximity and less sprawl, with more detail in the source article:

  1. Proximity promotes agglomeration, helping to grow industries and regional economies.
  2. Proximity requires less infrastructure per capita, reducing fiscal burdens on communities.
  3. Proximity offers more modal choice, making transportation more affordable and age-neutral.
  4. Proximity is essential to hitting carbon targets and developing more resilient places.
  5. Proximity incentivizes safer streets and supports a healthier population.

The article also includes one critical caveat: the proposal does not necessitate a Cobursian approach to urban development that would replicate skyscrapers all over urban areas. To get at the right mix of densities, the trio of writers suggests making better use of the new troves of transportation data available to planners.

Monday, June 24, 2019 in Brookings

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder