Density by design

As gas nears $4 a gallon and as the world grapples with global warming, more people are choosing to live close to where they work (or at least close to a bus or rail line that can get them to their jobs without a car). And many people who are done working, or close to it - namely the empty nesters of the Baby Boom generation - also are eager to live where they can forget about yard work and walk to restaurants, parks, and cultural events. A new wave of urban housing is catering to people who seek this lifestyle.

But the word "density" has a bad rap among many Americans. Say it, and people conjure images of ugly housing projects and boring tract homes. That's why Julie Campoli and Alex S. MacLean wrote and photographed a book called Visualizing Density - to show that density doesn't need to mean bad design. They are traveling the country to explain this message, and I caught up with them Wednesday at a program sponsored by the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho.

Asked to define density, people use negative terms including "cookie cutter," "boring," "isolated," "barren," "over-paved," "car-oriented," and "transient." But people also use more positive descriptions like "green," "varied," "connected," "timeless," and "pedestrian friendly." The latter terms come up when developers build environments that are high-quality (even for affordable housing), convenient, and have aesthetic appeal.

Density is definitely ecologically "green", but people won't move to a more dense neighborhood just because it's "the right thing to do," Campoli said. Instead, developments need to literally be green. "Satisfying people's need for green is essential," she added, noting that it can be done many ways, from courtyards and pocket parks to community gardens and even using green roofs and landscaped catch-basins instead of storm sewers for rainwater runoff.

Campoli pulled up a website for a Phoenix, Arizona, organization called South Laveen Against High Density. Its mission statement reads: "We will be reasonable but firm with misguided attempts to zone for high density cookie cutter housing." So what the group really opposes, she noted, is bad design - not high density. She recommended the Design Advisor website as a good source for planners and builders who want to create affordable yet well-designed housing. She also urged planners to encourage infill housing in existing urban areas rather than "new town" developments that often leap-frog over open space and demand long commutes.

Everyday Democracy has tools for communities that would like to address growth and sprawl, first by bringing a wide array of people together to discuss the issue, then to take action together on it. Click here to read stories of large and small communities that have taken these steps, and here to download a free copy of our discussion guide "Smart Talk for Growing Communities: Meeting the Challenges of Growth and Development."