Compact Development and Our Community
Photo by woodleywonderworksRecently our Staged4more staff attended a Women’s Council of Realtors meeting and the speaker was Alan Talansky, a developer who spoke briefly about compact development and specifically about the impact on the San Mateo community. This post is the first of two by Staged4more on the topic of compact development.
What is “compact development”?
Compact development is the concept of developing a community within a smaller area, rather than encouraging widespread urban sprawl. In a compact neighborhood, the community is built with shops, jobs, and homes in walkking distance of each other, with public plazas, parks, and community services, and a connection to the wider region through rapid transit.
Why is “compact development” necessary?
The U.S. population is expected to increase by 33% by 2030. We will need approximately 60 million new housing units to accommodate the growing population.
Talansky shared some insight and advantages from a developer’s perspective. He referred to “density done well” and how compact development reduces overall infrastructure costs and saves money.
Here are some other observations:
- Helps balance budgets
- Reduces traffic
- Provides housing options within reach of municipal employees
- Preserves natural parks because new housing doesn’t have to be built outward onto more land
- Allows people to live closer to their jobs and each other
- Shorter commute times
Photo by rsgreen89In a compact neighborhood, stores have enough local customers to stay in business, transit systems have enough riders to justify the public investment, and parks have people strolling through keeping the neighborhood save. Community services including childcare, medical offices, banks and post offices also have branch locations frequented by living within walking, biking, or transit distance. (Information Source: Great Communities)
Why is “compact development” important to realtors and stagers?
As housing options change, so will the scope of buying, selling, and preparing property for sale. As realtors, stagers, and realty industry professionals we should know about community development and especially with socially responsible trends.
Our next post on this topic will discuss the households best served by the compact development model and the specific area(s) successfully using compact development around the country and in San Mateo.
