Infill Dev elopment Rebuilding Our Citie s for a Sustainable Futur e

. . REENBELT ALLIANCE IS THE BAY . . . . Area’s citizen land conserva- . . . . tion and urban planning . . G . . . . organization. Known for opposing . . . . sprawl development, we also work to . . . . promote its alternatives, including . . . . “infill development.” ...... Wha t is infill dev elopment? ...... Infill is building homes, businesses . . . . and public facilities on unused and . . . . underutilized lands within existing . . . . urban areas. Infill development keeps . . . . resources where people already live . . . . and allows rebuilding to occur. Infill . . . . development is the key to accommo- . . . . dating growth and redesigning our . . . . cities to be environmentally and . . . . socially sustainable...... Does infill provide more . . . . Infill can encourage a variety of designs . visibility and creating a sense of . . . . housing options? . and housing options— second units, . community through natural interac- . . . . . townhouses, bungalows, studios, and . tions and shared spaces. . Absolutely. These days we are seeing . . . . cohousing— which are closer to jobs . . smaller families with working and . . . . and services and less expensive than . Will higher density crowd our . single parents, singles of all ages, and . . . . oversized housing at the urban fringe. . cities and wors en traf fic . people wanting work spaces in their . . . . . congestion? . homes. This diversity of needs is . . . . Will infill bring low-income . . often overlooked by development . . All growth increases traffic, but infill . . housing projects to my . . built exclusively for the 1950’s-style . . can alleviate congestion by reducing . . neighborhood? . . family (working dad and domestic . . trips and encouraging alternative . . . . mom) which now accounts for only . Not necessarily, but we still need to . transportation. . . . . 14% of U.S. households (see below). . provide housing opportunities for all ...... kinds of people. Instead of huge . Good infill projects are sometimes . . . . . housing projects, proponents of infill . “mixed-use,” placing residences and . U . S . H O U S E H O L D S . . . . often recommend a mix of market-rate . businesses in close proximity. Bring- . . . . A diverse popula tion ne eds . and affordable housing. As in the . ing homes and jobs together, along . . . . housing options. . natural world, achieving balance and . with services like shopping, schools . . . . . diversity in our communities is healthy . and recreation, shortens trips and . . . . Working Working . and creates richer experiences in the . makes walking and bicycling more . Couples Singles . . . . places we live. . appealing. . (31%) (26%) ...... Only higher housing densities can . . . . . Will higher density incre as e . support transit like light rail. A major . . . . . crime? . study found that in a neighborhood ...... with 15 homes per acre, one-third . No on e . No! No study has ever established a . . . . fewer auto trips occur compared to a . Married & works . link between crime increases and . . . . suburban tract. The bottom line is . on e spouse works (e.g. re tired) . housing density. In fact, density and . . . . . (14%) (28%) . design can enhance safety by ensuring . . . . (continued on reverse).

GREENBELT ALLIANCE • 530 Bush Stre e t, Suite 303 • S a n Francisco, C a li fornia • 94108 • 415-398-3730 ...... HOUSING TYPES AND DENSITIES ...... Density is not crowding! Good d esigns are attractiv e with any number of units per acre...... LOW DENSITY MODERATE DENSITY HIGH DENSITY ...... Usually called " sprawl" " Compact Development " Appropriate in limited areas ...... Older suburb Suburban neighborhood Apartments / condominiums . . . . 6 units per acre 14 units per acre 30 units per acre ...... that infill is necessary for giving us . How do infill’s costs add up? . air pollution, traffic congestion and ...... transportation choices beyond the . . loss of open space. The costs of ...... automobile. . Without doubt, infill development is . sprawl are passed on to communities ...... less expensive than sprawl in the long . as higher taxes, the deterioration of ...... Wha t does infill dev elopment . run. However, because of up-front . local businesses, and a declining ...... costs, building within the city is often . quality of life. . . me an for children? . . . . . less profitable to the developer, who ...... Infill can be a boon for children, . pays for site clean-up, zoning permits, . Wha t can I do to encourage ...... creating safe opportunities for play . building on a small scale, and accom- . . . . . infill? . . and discovery. As infill offers more . modating neighborhood concerns...... transit options and closer destinations, . . A great deal. Citizen participation is . . . But according to the Urban Land . . . teenagers will not be entirely depen- . . important in the rebuilding process. . . . Institute, urban sprawl eventually costs . . . dent on their parents for transporta- . . You can work with Greenbelt Alliance . . . from 40-400% more than infill develop- . . . tion. Of course, successful infill . . on a variety of pro-city projects, which . . . ment due to the costs of building and . . . designs will be attentive to a variety of . . include: . . . maintaining new roads, sewers, fire . . . special needs and enhance the lives of . . . . . stations and schools, not to mention . • awareness and education; . . all people, old as well as young...... the health and psychological costs of . . . . • endorsements of appropriate ...... compact housing proposals; and ...... INFILL GLOSSARY . • policy research and partnership ...... development...... • Infill — Development of unused and underutilized land within urban areas...... For more information about our . . • Density — The number of units per acre, either net (just buildings) or gross . . . . programs and volunteer opportuni- . . (buildings and streets). . . . . ties, call us at 415-398-3730...... • Mixed-Use — Residential and commercial uses on the same site...... • Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) — Higher density and mixed-use ...... development around transit centers, particularly rail and light rail...... • Redevelopment — Official government process that relies on " tax-exempt " ...... financing for rebuilding “blighted” areas of cities...... P E O P L E F O R O P E N S P A C E .

GREENBELT ALLIANCE • 530 Bush Stre e t, Suite 303 • S a n Francisco, C a li fornia • 94108 • 415-398-3730