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New Urbanism believes that people
deserve many housing choices within each neighborhood, to
accommodate the broad array of families and living
situations that typify our society. Many people enjoy the
flexibility and low-maintenance convenience of rental
housing, which can take the form of anything from a house to
a skyscraper. One of those housing choices might be rental
apartments, but the term "rental apartment" covers such a
wide ground that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to
make generalizations about their pros and cons. In any
healthy neighborhood, a fine-grained mix of housing types --
as opposed to large concentrations of any one type -- will
help to reduce the negative effects associated with any one
housing type.
Payton Chung, Congress of the New Urbanism
E-mail received: 7/16/2007
If you’re
inquiring about the pros/cons of having rental units
constructed in your existing TND neighborhood:
Apartments allow a greater diversity of incomes and family
sizes to live in the same neighborhood, which brings greater
diversity and vibrancy to your community and allows people
to “age in place.” Apartments might provide sufficient
density to make public transportation a viable option where
it may not already be one. And, apartments would add to the
critical mass of people necessary to support shops,
restaurants, and other services within walking
distance—making your TND more successful for all occupants.
For more information, see
Higher
Density Development: Myth or Fact.
Meghan
Sharp
Assistant Project Manager, Livable Communities
ICMA:
Leaders at the Core of Better Communities
E-mail received: 8/7/2007
No one likes sprawl and the traffic
congestion it creates, yet proposals for increasing density
in new and existing neighborhoods often are squashed by
community fears of public housing, crime, and ugly high
rises.
Higher-Density Development: Myth and Fact
dispels
these negative connotations, by comparing the advantages and
drawbacks of higher- and low-density development. The
definition of higher-density development is relative to the
community the development is in—it could be single-family
homes on smaller lots, or townhouses and apartments in more
populated areas. Eight widespread misconceptions about
higher-density development are examined and dispelled with
well-researched facts and examples of high quality, compact
developments.
Debunk
these common myths about density:
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Higher-density development overburdens public schools and
other public services and requires more infrastructure
support systems.
•
Higher-density developments lower property values in
surrounding areas.
•
Higher-density development creates more regional traffic
congestion and parking problems than low-density
development.
•
Higher-density development leads to higher crime rates.
•
Higher-density development is environmentally more
destructive than lower density development.
•
Higher-density development is unattractive and does not fit
in a low-density community.
• No one
in suburban areas wants higher-density development.
•
Higher-density housing is only for lower-income households.
Higher-Density: Myth and Fact By Richard Haughey
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