People are returning to urban centers at an increasing rate, a trend that will require an increased focus on creating the transportation infrastructure we'll need to prevent further congestion and gridlock.
A study released by the Environmental Protection Agency, "Residential Construction Trends in America’s Metropolitan Regions" finds major growth within cities throughout the United States, especially during the past five years. The EPA cites falling crime rates and rising demand for pedestrian-friendly walkable communities as reasons for this large influx of people.
With this steady growth our attention must, more than ever, focus on creating a truly diverse transportation infrastructure with options for all modes of travel, from automobiles to trains to bicycles. As we trade parking lots for housing developments and build homes in places that were once industrial or commercial districts we must limit congestion and maximize our ability to get in and out of increasingly dense urban centers.
Fortunately we are seeing some evidence that this is what the public and our policymakers want. The advocacy group Transportation For America released a poll finding a majority of Americans favor increased mass transit, and the Transportation Department has decreed that the needs of pedestrians and cyclists must be placed alongside those of motorists.
Most of the growth is occurring in what already are dense urban centers. In the New York metropolitan area, for example, an average of 44 percent of all building permits issued over the last 6 years were issued within the city itself, compared to 15 percent in the 1990s. It was the same in Chicago (27 percent compared to 7 percent); Portland, Oregon (26 percent, up from 9 percent) and other major metro areas.
Such growth is not as big a concern for cities with extensive multi-modal transit systems. But what about cities that don't have the extensive transportation networks of, say, the Big Apple? This question takes on added urgency when you realize that more than 400 million people will live in the United States by 2050, with a majority moving into more urbanized parts of the United States breathing revitalization to once depressed cities, while creating new ones.
Clearly we must look to our transportation systems as the basis, or, to use a biological metaphor, the the connective tissue for new urban development. This will allow us to continue the trend toward urban living while providing public transportation options the public wants -- and, increasingly will need.
Take the Washington D.C. metropolitan area as an example. Six percent of its development is occurring within the urban core. That doesn’t mean the remaining 94 percent was traditional single-family home suburban development. We've seen such development to be sure, but many communities outside the urban core are embracing a smart growth model. Rockville, Maryland north of D.C. has seen a lot of growth during the last few decades. With this growth came more roads along with Metro connections for people to commute into Washington D.C.
Rockville has recognized the need to make transit planning a key component in new development. Rockville Town Square is an excellent example of smart growth principles in action. It follows the transit oriented development model that stresses compact, pedestrian- and transit-friendly communities. The 12-acre Rockville Town Square is a condo and apartment development that also offers everything you'd expect in a major retail property, including a gym, a supermarket and lots of retail and restaurants. The challenge, as noted in the Washington Post, is convincing people to get out of their cars and start walking in order to truly experience what this development, and others like it, is about.
Such developments will become an increasingly common part of the urban, and suburban, landscape. The future of transportation and the subsequent development will be focused around creating multi-modal connections for people whether they drive, bike, or walk. The question is should we start embracing this paradigm shift, differing from what most of the United States has become accustomed to, or wait until traffic and congestion has become completely unmanageable? The choice is yours.
UPDATED 1:15 p.m. Eastern to remove mention of a supermarket at Rockville Town Square, as per Technophile's comment.
Photo of the new Aqua Tower hotel and high-rise apartment building on Chicago: gshowman / Flickr
