Many 'Boomburbs,' or large fast-growing suburbs, are nearing their buildout, argues Robert E. Lang.
Buildoutrefers to the point at which development has reached a citys borders, or has exhaustedlarge-scale greenfield options. Boomburbs will soon face a decision: do they stopbooming once they reach their current limits or develop a new growth model that moreintensively uses existing land? Or will they grab more space for continuing greenfielddevelopment?One hundred and forty Boomburbs were surveyed about their buildout options. Theyprovided information on several variables including future density, the amount of spaceleft to build on, and the mixture of land uses that will fill this space. The answers variedwidely, with some places looking to become far more urbanized, while others rush tobuild even lower-density development. Yet, most Boomburbs expect to grow denser as they buildout. The paper concludes with a discussion on the politics of buildout.
[Editor's note: The link below is to a 1MB PDF document.]
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Boomburbs at Buildout: Future Development In Fast Growing Suburbs
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