ULI IDs 10 principles for suburban reinvention

The transformation of suburban business districts from loosely linked, auto-dependent, segregated-use developments into tightly knit, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use environments is "the next new thing" in overall urban revitalization efforts, according to the Urban Land In-stitute.

A new ULI booklet, "Ten Principles for Reinventing America's Suburban Business Districts," was released Jan. 16, according to a ULI press release.

ULI President Richard M. Rosan stated that developing America's 200-plus suburban business districts into safe, se-cure and attractive gathering places is the "logical next step" for smart growth.

"This is not about suburban versus downtown. This is about a better way for urban America to grow, about turning places to avoid into places to enjoy," Ro-san said.

He noted that the nation's metropolitan areas are evolving into urban regions with different centers of density.

"We need to change how we think of cities. The old model, in which development spurts haphazardly from one downtown core, is becoming obsolete. Now, even in sprawling metro areas, we are seeing a development shift in which more sections are being changed into mixed-use, higher-density, walkable communities."

While the 1990s might be considered the "decade of rediscovery" of downtowns, this decade could be the "decade of connectivity," Rosan said. "In today's environment, smart growth means connecting downtowns to other hubs of density using efficient, reliable, transit alternatives."

ULI Senior Resident Fellow Maureen McAvey pointed out that the widespread reinvention of suburban business districts will require more regional cooperation and collaboration among local governments within urban areas.

A shift toward regionalism although still widely viewed as politically improbable may gain more acceptance as urban areas struggle with fewer funds to cover basic services, she said. The economic recession, exacerbated by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, have left many areas with a shrinking tax base, McAvey said.

"With this cloud of uncertainty hanging over America, there is a pressing need to make sure that the benefits of urban living continue to outweigh the disadvantages. People want to live and work in places that are safe and vibrant, not just tolerable. Promoting better growth patterns throughout urban Am-erica including suburban districts - has never been more critical as a way to sustain existing economic development op-portunities and create new ones," Mc-Avey said.

According to ULI Senior Resident Fel-low John McIlwain, this "decade of connectivity" must also involve connecting housing to jobs, which means the inclusion of residential units in the reinvention of suburban business districts. Such housing must also be mixed-income, to include housing that is affordable to moderate-income people who work in or near these centers of density, he said.

U.S. Census projections for continued population growth, along with new data showing an increase in nontraditional households, point to a rising demand for more work-force housing "across the board," McIlwain said. "There are very few options for families who earn too much to qualify for federal assistance but who can't afford market-rate housing. Many fully employed workers remain priced out of urban markets, including suburban districts. So they drive until they qualify,' driving farther from their jobs until they find a home they can afford," he said.

Even in the post-Sept. 11 environment of shifting domestic priorities, the shortage of affordable housing is a pressing urban need that cannot be shelved, Mc-Ilwain said.

"We cannot put this off. Throughout urban America, commutes are longer, traffic is worse, and people are tired of it. One way to help solve this problem is by turning commercial districts filled with offices and stores into towns and villages. What is the difference between a business district' and a town or village? People of all incomes living there 24/7. Mixed-income housing is the key, along with good design, to making these areas places where people live, as well as work and shop. This is what we forgot in the 1950s and have rediscovered."

Demographic changes and consumer demand for more choices and flexibility in living/working/shopping arrangements were a driving force behind the "Ten Principles" booklet, authored by Geoffrey Booth, ULI director of retail development.

"Social and market trends offer the potential to transform suburban business districts into vibrant, pedestrian-friendly places. Currently, such reinvented places are in short supply. Most suburban business districts encompass a disparate group of isolated uses with little or no integration, a transportation system that is auto-oriented and even hostile to pedestrians, and a near total absence of civic identity. The need and demand for change is obvious," Booth said. "We can secure an improved return from our real estate assets."

According to James W. Todd, president of The Petersen Companies in Fair-fax, Va., whose company is involved in the revitalization of Silver Spring, Md., many of the same factors that influenced the resurgence of central business districts in the 1990s should be applied to the revival of suburban business districts.

Such factors include: development density, improved spatial connection be-tween buildings, pedestrian interconnections, street layout, and choice in mode of transit. However, because the building form and layout of suburban business districts have an "independence and separation" not found in downtown business districts, they can prove a major challenge to public transit, which is unable to serve lower density and fragmented de-velopment in a cost-effective manner, Todd said.

"The transformation of suburban business districts demands a smarter form of community building. It relies on both the vertical and horizontal integration of of-fice, retail, residential and community uses," he said.

"We have to break down regulatory barriers blocking the creation of integrated live/work/shop places to serve the very areas where 80 percent of the urban population is located in the suburbs. The place-making dividend from this new approach will result in more community assets, more tax revenue and im-proved real estate performance."

The "Ten Principles" booklet is an ex-tension of an in-depth ULI publication, "Transforming Suburban Business Dis-tricts," also authored by Booth. The purpose of the booklet and its comprehensive counterpart is to offer local government officials, planners and developers practical, usable ideas and information to help make better land use and redevelopment efforts a reality.

The principles are:

Understand your position in the market

Build community support

Develop a vision and a plan

Stress results over regulations

Break up the "super blocks" and op-timize connectivity

Embrace mixed uses

Honor human scale by creating a pe-destrian-friendly place

Think transit think density

Create a public/private partnership

Share and manage parking

The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment.

Established in 1936, the institute has nearly 17,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.