“The only issue for us is how we increase densities
in our cities and our outlying areas so we can have intelligent growth.
We must now consider increased density as our only solution.”
Albert Ratner
Co-Chairman
Forest City Enterprises
at Urban Land Institute’s 2005 Annual Conference
One of the major socioeconomic forces shaping American life since the early 20th century has been the decentralization of population and commerce from high-density, urban centers to sprawling metropolises that consist of low-density suburban developments connected by extensive networks of roadways.
Although this development model remains the dominant paradigm at the beginning of the 21st century, governments and the real estate community are beginning to focus on alternative, “smart-growth” approaches to planning and development.
They literally have millions of reasons for doing so. The U.S. population is expected to grow from an estimated 295 million at the beginning of 2005 to 364 million by the year 2030. At current metropolitan-area population densities – 333 people per square mile – these 69 million added residents would require the development of another 207,000 square miles of land (or 133 million acres) over the next 25 years, roughly 6% of the nation’s land area.
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