Walkable Urban Places are Different & Complex to Manage Teaching a NASCAR Driver to be a Fighter Pilot Must Have a Strategy & Be Managed to Succeed, e.g., BID Each New Element Adds Value to Existing Assets IF within Walking Distance (1500-3000 feet) Creates a Special Place and Significantly Greater Asset Values and Taxes More is Better Upward Spiral Conscious Affordable & Workforce Housing Policy Required
U.S. Metropolitan Land Use Options Regionally Significant Local- Serving Walkable Urban Place (there-there) 1-2% of Metro Area Neighborhood 3-7% of Metro Area Center city, Inner suburban & New Urbanism neighborhoods Drivable Suburban Edge City 5-7% of Metro Area Bedroom Community 80-85% of Metro Area Inner and Outer Suburbs
Footloose & Fancy Free Brookings Field Survey, December, 2007 Washington has highest per capita number (20 VS 2 & 10 more emerging), followed by (2) Boston, (3) San Francisco, (4) Denver & (5) Seattle 4-7 walkable urban places/million population 65% of WU places have rail transit DC 90% do 50/50 split between center city and suburban locations; 70% in DC 100 s more walkable urban places probable where will they be in each metropolitan area?
Suburban Located Center City Regional-serving Walkable Urban Places: 5 Types (examples developed since 1990) Traditional Downtowns (San Diego, Denver, Downtown NYC, Seattle, Chattanooga, DC, etc.) Downtown Adjacent (Dupont Circle, West End (DC), Atlantic Station, Midtown Atlanta, etc.) Suburban Town Center (Pasadena, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redmond, White Plains, Stamford, etc.) Suburban Redevelopment (Ballston, Friendship Heights, Belmar, Santana Row, etc.) Suburban Green Field (Valencia Town Center, Reston Town Center, new generation of lifestyle centers, etc.)
Washington as the Model For the Early 21st Century 23 in 2010 vs. 2 in 1990 --------- 4 Existing per million people
Frederick (30 miles) Emerging Walkable Urban Places Favored Quarter 16 More on the Way --------- 4 to 7 per million people potential? Montgomery County Prince George's County Reston Town Center Fairfax County Arlington County U Street NoMA H Street Existing SW Waterfront Capitol Riverfront Emerging Metro Favored Quarter A lexa ndria State Beltway DC MD National Harbor VA 3 Miles
Observations on Metropolitan America Bad News Structurally overbuilt the wrong product in the wrong location, which the market does not want Sub-prime (3-5% of all mortgage debt) has been the warm up for the collapse of fringe drivable sub-urban development The market clearing price of fringe drivable suburban housing is substantially below replacement; The Next Slum This structural overbuilding is the primary (not the only) reason for this financial crisis last gasp and bailout of sprawl
Observations on Metropolitan America Good News Pent up market demand for growth of existing & hundreds of new regionally significant walkable urban places & thousands of new local-serving, walkable urban communities Majority will be in-fill and brownfield but needs assemblage, rezoning and management Will be driver for 35% of American economy for a generation, just like 1950s-1990s but a different product type Walkable urban infrastructure is vastly cheaper per unit or per square foot Environmental benefits; Energy and GHG Reductions Health benefits: Obesity and Asthma BOTH redevelopment of central city but more about the transformation of the suburbs
Possible Affordable Housing Solutions Short-term Standard tax credit and vouchers Next generation of Hope VI Inclusionary Zoning Impact fees (stop subsidies) Ancillary unit for for-sale housing Location efficient mortgages Long Term Create more walkable urban places (decrease land values) Focus credits and vouchers on walkable urban places 2 nd Half of Transportation system, allowing shift of household spending from cars to housing/savings Employers to TOD locations Value capture
Developing Walkable Urban Places Regionally Significant and Local-serving 1. Determine where walkable urban (TOD or transit-ready) could or should be (LA analysis) 2. Draw boundaries (50-400 acre) and start visioning/strategy process overlay zoning 3. Management organization (city, indigenous non-profit, imported non-profit, for-profit); missing level of governance but, local-serving places may not have adequate fiscal base (NYC study) 4. NIMBYs become YIMBYS 5. City land contribution/land assemblage 6. Infrastructure focus in CIP 7. Private/Public initiative
Place Making is a Three-Legged Stool Walkable Urban Place Public Sector Place Management is KEY Private Developers
How Do You Do It?: Settling the Stage 1. Intention and Vision 2. Strategic Plan 3. Role of Public Sector -private/public partnership 4. Make the Right Thing Easy 5. Establish BID and Other Non-Profits 6. May Need to Create a Catalytic Development Company
Make the Right Thing Easy High density walkable urban development generally illegal NIMBYs become YIMBYs Need for governmental and smart growth environmental groups to lead the effort Overlay zoning Land assemblage Downtown and corridor overlay zoning in ABQ
Real Estate Products Progression of Real Estate Products Over Time in a Reviving Downtown www.brookings.edu/walkableurbanism Progressive Introduction of Real Estate Products in a Reviving Downtown early start organization early start late start early start late start late start Local Serving Retail (#11) For Sale Housing (#10) Affordable Strategy (#9) Office Employment (#12) early start late start Rental Housing (#8) Urban Entertainment (#7) 0 5 10 15 20 Range of Time (years) Time Frame in Years Source: Christopher B. Leinberger -- Arcadia Land Co. and Robert Charles Lesser & Co.
Management Models for Walkable Urban Place Management Cost Center Profit Center Investment Center City Management Business Improvement District Festivals, Events & Sponsorships Management Of Services for Public & Priv. Sectors Manage other Walkable places Aggressive Retail Mgmt Incremental Investment & Management Of Existing: Parking decks Parks WiFi Other Capital Investments For New Infrast. & Parking Real Estate Development Bus and Rail Development & Mgmt Political Legitimacy
Bryant Park: From Needle Park to Best Park in Country
Source: Richard Bradley, Downtown DC BID
Place Strategy Components 1. Base and overlay mapping 2. Visioning and community input 3. Market research (office, retail, etc.) & demographics 4. Past, current and future plans, studies, etc. 5. Regionally significant assets and export businesses/activities 6. Organizational options 7. Briefing book summary of above 8. Strategy development 9. Implementation plans 10. Reporting/summary