Reshaping Metropolitan America: Development Trends and Opportunities to 2030

by Arthur C. Nelson Ph.D., FAICP, Earl Blumenauer

Overview

Nearly half the buildings that will be standing in 2030 do not exist today. That means we have a tremendous opportunity to reinvent our urban areas, making them more sustainable and livable for future generations. But for this vision to become reality, the planning community needs reliable data about emerging trends and smart projections about how they will play out. Arthur C. Nelson delivers that resource in Reshaping Metropolitan America.

This unprecedented reference provides statistics about changes in population, jobs, housing, nonresidential space, and other key factors that are shaping the built environment, but its value goes beyond facts and figures. Nelson expertly analyzes contemporary development trends and identifies shifts that will affect metropolitan areas in the coming years. He shows how redevelopment can meet new and emerging market demands by creating more compact, walkable, and enjoyable communities. Most importantly, Nelson outlines a policy agenda for reshaping America that meets the new market demand for sustainable places.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610910330
Publisher:	Island Press
Publication date:	01/15/2013
Series:	Metropolitan Planning + Design
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Dr. Arthur C. Nelson, FAICP, is Presidential Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah where he is also Director of the Metropolitan Research Center and is Co-Director of the Master of Real Estate Development Program.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

1 Major Market Trends and Demographic Changes 9

2 What Americans Want 33

3 Households and Housing 47

4 Space Needs for Jobs 67

5 The Reshape America Index 81

6 The Benefits of Reshaping Metropolitan America 89

7 Agenda to Reshape Metropolitan America 109

Notes 123

References and Selected Bibliography 133

Index 143

Editorial Reviews

"What if all new development from 2010-2030 infilled or retrofitted suburban corridors and centers? The extensive research and compelling demographic and statistical evidence compiled here projects the myriad benefits of just such a bold—and needed—scenario. This is a must-read for planners and policymakers."

Ellen Dunham-Jones

"Chris Nelson invented the big picture understanding of how we are building metropolitan America. In Reshaping Metropolitan America, he has once again shown why urbanists throughout the country turn to him to see the future of the built environment."

Christopher B. Leinberger

"Finally we have a comprehensive view of how the American Dream is changing and why. We are a market driven culture and this important book lays out the new market forces; demographics, costs, environmental impacts, and quality of life. The good news is that they all lean in the same direction—Smart Growth will dominate the next generation of development."

Peter Calthorpe

"Reshaping Metropolitan America is a useful, readable, and provocative book that should interest a diverse set of audiences."

Journal of the American Planning Association

"Nelson paints a vivid picture of an America physically transformed in the next twenty years. Denser in form, more diverse in demographics, richer in transport and living options, the changing shape of our cities and metros will have profound implications for our economy, our environment and our health."

Bruce Katz