Is 'Infill' Worth The High Cost?

The popularity of urban "infill" developments demonstrates that more people would like to live, work, and shop in close proximity. But developers say financial and regulatory obstacles make "infill" projects expensive.

1 minute read

January 24, 2003, 2:00 PM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"Business leaders, environmental activists and regional planners may not agree on much, but they generally do agree on this: The Washington area would be better off if more of the region's growth incorporated densely concentrated "infill" development around mass-transit stops, and placed residential and commercial uses close to each other, so that more residents could go about daily routines without clogging roads and despoiling open land...there is a growing number of residents who prefer to live, work and shop in close proximity... But meeting that demand will be difficult... Developers of infill describe a battery of regulatory and financial hurdles that string out their design and construction for years and scare off real estate investors."

Thanks to The Practice of New Urbanism

Read the full story: For Urban Developers, A Hard Row to Hoe

Friday, January 24, 2003 in The Washington Post

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