[CPEO-BIF] EPA Study: More cities embrace housing redevelopment

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

Press Release
U.S. EPA
December 19, 2012

EPA Study Reveals Shift in Housing Developments Across the U.S. /  
More communities embrace redevelopment

WASHINGTON â The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released  
a new report examining residential construction trends in Americaâs  
metropolitan regions, which finds that nearly three out of four large  
metropolitan regions saw an increased share of new housing  
development in previously developed areas during 2005 - 2009 compared  
to 2000 - 2004.

Known as infill housing, this type of development provides economic  
and public health benefits to metropolitan areas while protecting the  
local environment. Infill housing saves money and energy by taking  
advantage of previous investments in existing infrastructure (such as  
water, sewer, and roads). This type of development can also help  
preserve open space, protect natural resources, and reduce  
transportation emissions and the amount of polluted stormwater  
washing off new roadways and other paved surfaces.

Infill housing has also been shown to help raise property values,  
increase a communityâs tax base, and attract retail businesses to  
serve the larger residential population.

This report examines data on the location of new home development in  
metropolitan regions, as well as data on pre-existing land cover. The  
report also includes a listing of resources available to local,  
regional, and state leaders who wish to coordinate land use, housing,  
and transportation policies.

The findings of the report demonstrate that infill has become a  
significant portion of the U.S. housing market. Among all 209  
metropolitan regions examined, 21 percent of new homes were infill,  
while the remaining share was built on undeveloped land outside  
existing communities. Seventy-one percent of large metropolitan  
regions saw an increased share of infill housing development. Among  
51 large metropolitan regions examined in this study, 36 saw an  
increased share of infill housing development during 2005-2009  
compared to 2000-2004. For example, eight out of ten new homes in San  
Jose, Calif. were infill. New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco  
all saw a majority of new home construction in previously developed  
areas during the same time period.

EPA published the first and second editions of Residential  
Construction Trends in America's Metropolitan Regions in 2009 and  
2010. This 2012 report builds on previous work with the HUD-DOT-EPA  
Partnership for Sustainable Communities to measure metropolitan  
development trends.

More information on the report, prior studies, and a map showing  
regional trends:
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/construction_trends.htm



More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities:
http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/index.html




For the original press release, go to
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/ 
d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/494416dde865190d85257ad9005eb346! 
OpenDocument

You may need to copy and paste the link.




--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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