Is It Time to Stop Building Suburbs?
Summary
TLDRThe video script addresses the impact of suburban development on the environment and community character. It highlights the unsustainable economic model of traditional suburban sprawl, which requires extensive infrastructure with long-term costs often not covered by tax revenue. The script advocates for smarter development practices that increase density through varied housing types, mixed-use spaces, and pedestrian-friendly designs. It also discusses the historical context of suburban planning and the need for responsible leadership in local government to ensure financially sustainable and environmentally conscious growth.
Takeaways
- 🏠 The current housing development in the US, particularly in suburban areas, is leading to environmental and economic concerns due to its sprawling nature.
- 🌳 The rural community of Old Miakka, Florida, is under threat from suburban development that disregards the area's natural beauty and historic value.
- 🚧 Suburban development often requires extensive infrastructure like roads and utilities, which can take decades for the generated tax revenue to cover, leading to financial strain on local governments.
- 💡 Alternative suburban development models exist that increase density while preserving a suburban feel, such as building homes with alleyways for garages and driveways.
- 🏡 Smaller, more diverse housing options like duplexes, cottage courts, and townhouses can accommodate more people on the same land, reducing the need for further land development.
- 🚶♂️ Sustainable suburban living can be achieved through a mix of housing types, mixed-use developments, and pedestrian connectivity, enhancing community and reducing reliance on cars.
- 🏢 Mixed-use developments that integrate residential, commercial, and recreational spaces can create walkable communities, reducing the need for additional infrastructure.
- 🌱 Preserving open rural land and preventing overdevelopment is crucial for maintaining natural habitats and agricultural areas, which is a challenge faced by many communities.
- 💼 The economic model of suburban development often shifts long-term costs to local governments, which must maintain infrastructure without sufficient tax revenue from residents.
- 🗳️ Community involvement and informed voting are essential for advocating for responsible development practices that consider long-term environmental and financial sustainability.
Q & A
What is the main concern regarding the current suburban development pattern in the US?
-The main concern is that the current pattern of suburban development, characterized by single-family homes with yards and driveways, is economically unsustainable due to the high costs of infrastructure and the time it takes for tax revenue from these homes to cover those costs. This pattern also leads to the destruction of natural landscapes and rural areas, which is irreversible in some cases.
Why is the community of Old Miakka in Florida worried about its future?
-The community of Old Miakka is worried because the county has started allowing suburban development to continue past the boundary line that was meant to preserve the rural character of the area. This new development threatens the natural environment, wildlife, and the historic rural community that residents value.
What is the economic illusion associated with suburban development mentioned in the script?
-The economic illusion refers to the fact that the infrastructure required for suburban developments, such as roads, water, and sewer systems, is costly to build and maintain. Often, it takes several decades for the tax revenue generated by these houses to cover the initial costs, and the infrastructure may need repairs or replacement before that revenue is realized.
How does urban development differ from suburban development in terms of tax revenue generation?
-Urban development can generate much more tax revenue from the same amount of land compared to suburban development. This is because urban areas have higher-density housing and more businesses, which contribute more to tax revenues that can be used to maintain infrastructure.
What alternative suburban development approach is suggested in the script to increase financial sustainability?
-The script suggests building homes in a way that increases density while maintaining a suburban feel. This can be achieved by changing the layout of how homes are built, such as placing garages behind houses on alleys, and by offering a variety of housing types, including smaller homes and multi-use developments. This approach can help preserve rural land and generate more tax revenue to cover infrastructure costs.
What are the three key aspects of more sustainable suburban living mentioned in the script?
-The three key aspects of more sustainable suburban living are a variety of housing types, mixed-use development, and pedestrian connectivity. These aspects, when combined, can create walkable, interconnected communities that are more financially sustainable and better serve the needs of residents.
How does the script illustrate the impact of different development approaches on land use and infrastructure costs?
-The script uses a hypothetical scenario with 1,000 people moving to a city and compares two development approaches. The traditional approach results in the need for more land, roads, and utilities, while a more integrated approach with mixed-use, varied housing types, and pedestrian connectivity can house all 1,000 people on the same land without needing to expand, thus saving land and reducing infrastructure costs.
What is the significance of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the context of the script?
-Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are significant because they allow for increased housing density on already developed land without the need for extensive new infrastructure. They can be created by converting existing spaces like garages or by building small cottages in backyards, providing more housing options and potentially reducing pressure on rural land for development.
Why is the original plan for expanding suburbs in Sarasota County considered more sustainable?
-The original plan for expanding suburbs in Sarasota County is considered more sustainable because it aimed to create small villages with mixed-use development and maintain rural open space around them. This approach was intended to be environmentally friendly, economically self-sufficient, and not to stress municipal budgets, in contrast to the generic suburban sprawl that followed.
What role does local government play in determining the future of suburban development according to the script?
-Local government plays a crucial role in determining the future of suburban development by making land-use decisions, zoning regulations, and permitting new developments. The script emphasizes the need for leadership that values smart and responsible development to ensure financial sustainability and environmental preservation.
Outlines
🏡 Impacts of Suburban Development
This paragraph discusses the implications of new housing construction in the US, particularly how it affects different living environments. It introduces the story of Becky Ayesh from Old Miakka, Florida, who is concerned about the encroachment of suburban development into her rural community. The county's decision to allow development beyond the designated boundary line threatens the preservation of rural land. The paragraph emphasizes the need for development that is compatible with the existing character of an area, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach that disregards the community's unique attributes.
🚗 Economic Illusion of Suburban Sprawl
The second paragraph delves into the economic fallacy behind the widespread suburban development model. It points out that the infrastructure required for such developments, including roads and utilities, is costly to build and maintain, and often takes decades for the generated tax revenue to cover these costs. In contrast, urban areas can generate more tax revenue from the same land area, making suburban development less financially sustainable. The paragraph also introduces alternative development models that increase density without compromising the suburban feel, such as alley-loaded housing and smaller homes, which can better utilize space and generate more tax revenue.
🌿 Sustainable Suburban Living
This paragraph explores the concept of sustainable suburban living by emphasizing the importance of three key aspects: a variety of housing types, mixed-use development, and pedestrian connectivity. It contrasts poorly planned developments that lack these elements with those that integrate them, creating more livable and interconnected communities. The discussion also touches on the preference of many people for single-family homes and the need to provide a range of housing options to meet different needs. The paragraph suggests that by rethinking development strategies, suburbs can grow while preserving land, offering affordable housing, and being financially sustainable for local governments.
🏘️ Rethinking Suburban Expansion
The fourth paragraph discusses the history of suburban development in Sarasota and the original plans for sustainable expansion that were eventually ignored in favor of generic suburban sprawl. It highlights the importance of local government decisions in shaping land use and the need for leadership that values smart and responsible development. The paragraph also addresses the role of the community in influencing these decisions through voting and advocating for change. It suggests that by reevaluating development practices and focusing on infill development and accessory dwelling units, suburbs can grow in a way that is more financially and environmentally sustainable.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Housing Shortage
💡Urban Development
💡Suburban Sprawl
💡Economic Sustainability
💡Mixed-Use Development
💡Pedestrian Connectivity
💡Density
💡Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
💡Zoning Restrictions
💡Smart Growth
Highlights
Huge plots of land are being cleared for new homes due to the housing shortage, which will impact everyone's way of living.
Becky Ayesh is concerned about the future of her rural community, Old Miakka, as suburban development encroaches.
The county's decision to allow suburban development past the boundary line threatens the preservation of rural land.
Growth isn't inherently bad, but developments must be compatible with the areas they're built in.
Suburban development often requires significant infrastructure investments that take decades to recoup through tax revenue.
Urban areas can generate more tax revenue from the same amount of land compared to suburban areas.
Rural areas require fewer services, making them more financially sustainable than suburban developments.
Suburban homes can be built in a way that increases density and preserves a suburban feel.
Changing the layout of homes can significantly impact space utilization and housing density.
Smaller homes and multi-use paths can provide safe and easy ways to walk or bike to mixed-use developments.
Three key aspects of sustainable suburban living are variety in housing types, mixed-use, and pedestrian connectivity.
Increasing housing density without diversifying land use can lead to isolated residential areas.
Many people want single-family houses but also desire walkability and access to amenities.
Housing options should include a variety of types to meet different needs, not just large single-family homes or generic apartments.
Rethinking land use can lead to more efficient, safe, and convenient suburban communities.
The original plan for expanding suburbs in Sarasota aimed to prevent overdevelopment and protect natural areas.
Developers often ignore sustainable development plans in favor of models that maximize their profits.
Local governments may face long-term costs for maintaining infrastructure that developers don't have to consider.
Building on already developed land or allowing accessory dwelling units can increase housing supply without extensive land clearing.
The right leadership and community values are crucial for smart and responsible suburban development.
Transcripts
Every day, all across the US, huge plots of land are being cleared, and new homes are being built.
With the current housing shortage, this should be a good thing. But the way we build this new
housing is going to have an impact on everyone's way of living, whether you live in a city, suburb,
or rural area over the next several decades. And unless something changes,
some places will be destroyed forever. So Spot's mother abandoned him. Usually,
when sheep abandon their babies, there's something wrong with them.
But I always try to save them, no matter what. This is Becky Ayesh, and she lives in a rural
community called Old Miakka, located in Sarasota County, Florida. But she's worried for its future.
The county had a boundary line in place to ensure all urban and suburban development happens on
this land, and all of the land on this side is preserved as rural. However, the county recently
started allowing suburban development to continue past the line, including a massive new suburban
development that will encroach into Old Miakka. Rather than try to celebrate the wonders of this
historic rural community, instead they want to pave us over and make us urban development.
I asked her what that wonder of her community looked like,
so she showed me around this place is full of nature, animals, and beauty. It's truly a complete
contrast from the generic sprawl that's being planned. And this itself is part of the issue.
Growth isn't necessarily a bad thing. It brings economic activity and new opportunities. But
developments need to be compatible with the areas where they're developing.
And they haven't even tried To say, "Well, okay, let's sit down. What
could we do that we could do a development that would harmonize with this community, that would be
part of the fabric of this community, that would be part of the growing of this community?" No, no,
they haven't done any of that. They said, "This is what you're going to get. Too bad, so sad."
And this exact same style of endless single-family homes with yards and driveways is happening all
over the country. But people like living in the suburbs. Not everyone wants to live in a dense
urban area, and not everyone wants to live in the middle of nowhere. After all, they wouldn't
exist if people didn't like living this way. So what's the answer here? Can these suburbs
continue to grow while still preserving land? And can they be done in a way that's
affordable for people and financially sustainable? Well, it's complicated.
One of the biggest problems with this style of suburban development is it's kind of an illusion.
Not literally, but economically. The thing is, all of these houses need roads, water, and sewer,
and all of that infrastructure takes a lot of money to build and maintain. A lot of times,
it takes these houses several decades to bring in enough tax revenue to cover the cost of the
infrastructure. And that infrastructure doesn't always last several decades,
meaning more money is required to fix it. In urban areas, they're able to generate much more
tax revenue from the same amount of land. For example, these are two identical sized
areas. One is in the suburbs, and the other is in a city. They both have road, water,
and sewer lines. But all of these homes and businesses provide significantly more tax revenue
to pay for it, while these homes provide much less tax revenue. On the other hand, rural areas don't
require many services. Many rural areas have wells and septic tanks, eliminating the need
for water and sewer services. And many rural roads are much smaller. This problem is fairly
unique to building suburban homes in this way. But this isn't the only way to build suburban
homes. We can build homes in a way that's more financially sustainable for local governments and
can help preserve rural land by increasing density while still keeping a very suburban feel. However,
many people in the suburbs live there because it isn't dense. But increasing density doesn't have
to mean building a high-rise apartment building. Sometimes just changing the
layout of how homes are built can have a huge impact on space. Take this street,
for example. All of the houses on this side of the street were built differently than the houses on
this side of the street. Right away, you might notice these houses have garages and driveways,
and these ones don't—except they do, but they're behind the house, built on an alley. This comes at
the expense of a large backyard, although some of these houses still do have a small outdoor
space in the back. And they all have a front yard, uninterrupted by driveways and cars. These are all
still decently sized single-family homes too. But this setup allows for double the amount of
homes to be built compared to if they were built like the houses on the other side of the street.
Homes can be smaller too. This development is all one and two-bedroom homes under 1,000 square feet
for people who don't want or need a huge house. Not only does this gently increase density,
but these homes have a multi-use path that allows for a safe and easy way to walk or bike to this
mixed-use development. This development has apartments, townhouses, restaurants, shops,
offices, and recreation, and it's done with small, safe streets. This development has
three key aspects of more sustainable suburban living: a variety of housing types, mixed-use,
and pedestrian connectivity. It's important that all three of these are taken into consideration
for new development. For example, just increasing housing density without diversifying how land
can be used leads to large areas of isolated residential use. This benefits hardly anyone.
People looking for privacy and isolation end up living right next to people, but people
wanting amenities don't have any because they're surrounded by residential development. Or in this
development, there's both a variety of housing with apartments and single-family homes,
as well as stores and restaurants. But these large roads and parking lots make it difficult
and unsafe to walk or bike. These apartments here are only 400 feet from this grocery store,
but there's no connection through these trees here, meaning you have to go all
the way around if you wanted to walk. This was not built with pedestrian connectivity in mind.
Meanwhile, with developments like this that integrate all three of these aspects,
someone living in this apartment is easily able to walk to any of these restaurants for dinner,
and someone living in this townhouse can take a short bike ride on the multi-use path over to
this park. But this development isn't perfect. While it's convenient for people living there,
it's still fairly isolated. However, if this development became more common, rather than the
expanse of generic sprawl, it could create entire communities interconnected in an efficient, safe,
and convenient way. But do people even want that? After all, these big, isolated subdivisions are
incredibly common. But a lot of times, it isn't what everybody wants; it's just what's available.
Many people still want a single-family house but don't want to worry about maintaining a lawn or
want to be able to walk to a restaurant or just want a small, simple house. But if that option
doesn't exist for people, it forces them to choose another option. This almost always boils down to
two options, especially in the suburbs. Option one is the traditional large single-family house, and
option two is the generic apartment for rent. So for those people that still want a house and they
want to be a homeowner, option one is going to be a better match for their needs, even if it means
they have to maintain a lawn, drive everywhere, and have more space than they really need.
Imagine you're at an ice cream shop, and there are only two items on the menu: a banana split and
a single scoop cone. The cone might be fine for some people, but some people want more than that,
so they go for the banana split. Some love it, but others might not have wanted that much and
end up throwing some away. When you consider all of the variables that are part of a banana split,
this might seem like a bit of a waste for someone who would have been fine with
something else. But imagine the ice cream shop started serving milkshakes. These are perfect
for people who wanted more than the cone but didn't need the entire banana split.
And now not as many banana splits have to be made. This is the same for housing.
Just because you might want to live in a single-family suburban home doesn't mean
that building other housing types is going to take away your single-family suburban home. Instead,
it opens up more options for more people. For some people, the status quo of American suburbs
is all they're familiar with. Some people don't realize what it would be like to be able to bike
to a restaurant for dinner because they're only used to being able to drive, and they think that
walkability and density are a big city thing, not a suburb thing. But it can be a suburb thing,
and it's possible to have really nice, walkable places in the suburbs. But we'd have to change how
we build, and in the process, it would allow us to grow the suburbs while preserving land, create
more affordable housing options, and be more financially sustainable for local governments.
So let's pretend we have 1,000 people moving to our city, and we have to build a
suburban development on this piece of land. If we follow existing development designs
currently being built here in Sarasota County, we end up with a street network that looks like this,
along with the required water retention ponds that handle runoff in Florida. We
start building traditional large single-family homes and quickly fill up our land with houses.
If we consider the average household size of 2.5 people in the US, this means we only have enough
housing for 500 of the 1,000 people. So we have to buy more land, build more roads and utilities,
and build more houses. Now we've housed all 1,000 people, but these people have nowhere
to shop or eat, no parks, and no schools. So we need to either buy more land to build these
things or all of these people will have to drive to the existing places, creating more traffic on
the existing roads. But if we change how we build, it would be a different story.
Instead, let's start with changing the layout of our street network. Rather than winding streets
optimized for isolation, let's instead optimize for connectivity and public space. We'll start
with this area and treat it as a town center, building some mixed-use buildings. Buildings like
these would provide places to shop, eat, work, and live. Next, we can build different types
of housing. This could be things like duplexes, which have two dwellings per unit, cottage courts,
which are small individual dwellings that share a common space, townhouses, which are a row of
dwellings in a larger building, apartments, and a variety of detached single-family homes, including
ones with front yards and garages in the back, and some traditional larger ones with big yards
and driveways. While the average household size is 2.5 people, now that we have a wider variety
of housing types, different-sized households can choose a housing type that might be a better
match for their needs. For example, a single young adult might choose to live in a cottage,
while a retired couple might choose to live in a townhouse, and a family of four might choose to
live in a big house with a backyard. Taking this into consideration, we're able to redistribute
our average household size by housing type, and when we look at our entire development, we've
managed to not only house all 1,000 people without having to buy any additional land, but we've also
made space for shops, restaurants, and offices. In fact, we still have some room to spare. We
can use this space for a school, parks, public pools, or more mixed-use. Since we didn't have
to purchase more land, all of that additional land purchased in the first example is able to
remain untouched, whether that's natural wildlife habitat or productive farmland.
And the local government doesn't have to pay for and maintain all of those additional roads
and utilities that would have been built. This example uses 1,000 people and a small
piece of land for the sake of simplicity to show this concept. But when you apply the
same concept to the scale of some of the massive developments going in with several thousand acres,
this can equate to huge differences in terms of land saved. And keep in mind,
this is still very much a suburban development. Sure, it'd be possible to fit 10,000 people into
the same amount of space and would be much more efficient, but that would make this feel much
more like a dense urban setting. And the reality is many people don't want to live in that level of
density. In this example, almost half of the people living here would still be living in
detached single-family homes. Everyone can still own a car, with all of the homes having garages
or dedicated parking spaces. But it would also be easy to get around by walking or biking. And for
those driving around a development like this, the streets would be designed in a way to encourage
slow speeds and be significantly safer than many of the high-speed roads common in the suburbs.
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interesting, go check out Brilliant. With this type of development,
it would still feel like the suburbs but with a small-town feel. And it turns out,
this kind of development was actually the original plan for expanding the suburbs in Sarasota. When
developers were looking to begin building on rural land, the county put together a plan to
prevent overdevelopment of generic suburban sprawl and protect the character of these
natural areas by creating these small villages and maintaining the rural open space around them.
It was intended to be environmentally friendly,
economically self-sufficient, it wouldn't stress municipal budgets.
This is Cathy Antunes, a longtime Sarasota activist and radio host.
Before developers could leverage themselves, before we had automobiles, development was
built always in a way where it was financially sustainable immediately. And if you think about
how did towns in the United States develop? They had the town part, which was like a Main Street,
a mixed-use, stores with apartments overhead, a place where people come and gather and walk, go to
restaurants. And then the rest was rural. It was farmland and places where people work the land.
And this is what the plan was trying to get back to. But as
developers continued building, the plan was essentially ignored.
It was completely gutted by our county commission. They believed
developers who fund their campaigns that this wasn't economically viable,
which is ridiculous. I mean, hundreds of years, this is the model that's worked.
But despite this, developers have continued to build what they want to.
They don't want to change their development model. Why should they? They can basically
get the county commission to do what they want. They make a lot of money,
and people are buying it. But the community winds up holding the bag on the long-term cost.
The thing is, these developers don't have to maintain this infrastructure over time. They
can get their money and move on to the next new development, leaving the local government stuck
with tons of new infrastructure they'll have to maintain. This might be fine right now since it's
all brand new. But if local governments allow development to continue like this,
eventually, something will have to happen. This could lead to a few different outcomes.
First is that the infrastructure begins to fall apart.
Second is that budget cuts happen to other vital aspects of running a city.
Or finally is that taxes increase for residents to pay for it. This is truly one of the only ways
suburbs like this can exist and be financially sustainable. In most suburbs built like this,
people living in these developments aren't being taxed enough to pay for the services
required. Of course, nobody wants to pay more taxes. But this is an economic reality
if you continue to build more infrastructure. So what if we don't build more infrastructure
in the first place? Instead, we can rethink how we use the land where the infrastructure
already exists. And it can be done in a way that increases housing without completely
changing the fabric of existing neighborhoods. This example in Sarasota built 357 units,
primarily as townhouses and apartments, in a spot previously occupied by an underutilized
shopping center and an abandoned warehouse, all close to downtown and right on a multi-use rail
trail that runs through the county. Adding more housing doesn't just have to be on big plots of
land either. Many cities have begun allowing accessory dwelling units or ADUs. These allow
for more people to live on existing property by adding something like a small backyard cottage,
converting a garage, or converting part of an existing house into an additional unit. Typically,
this is illegal due to zoning restrictions that only allow one single-family residence per lot.
But those restrictions are changing in some areas, increasing housing supply in a smart and
efficient way. Sarasota County started allowing ADUs a few years ago, allowing them to increase
density on already developed land. However, many neighborhoods are controlled by homeowners
associations, which follow their own set of rules and almost always don't allow ADUs. The more that
is built like this, the less land that has to be cleared for new development, and the less
infrastructure that will have to be maintained by the local government. And the county knows this.
So why are they still allowing more development that will end up draining their budget?
I mean, we need a different set of values at the county commission, and honestly,
that's not going to come from people who are plucked to serve the needs of developers.
We need homegrown candidates who are committed to a good, prosperous, strong, financially sound
community long term, not just in a few weeks. We need a more educated electorate. A lot of people
walk into that voting booth, and they think, like, if you're for fiscally responsible candidates,
people assume, I think that's changing, that that meant the Republican Party. And Sarasota
has a Republican Party majority very often. Just because someone has an R by their name,
they may be the last person that's actually fiscally responsible.
This is why it's so important to do research on who you're voting for so you can vote for
people who actually represent your interests. We need to really start and begin with valuing the
importance of local government. If you care about the environment, all of these land-use decisions,
most of them are local. If you really want to save the environment, you need to know what
your city is doing and what your county is doing, because that's where the rubber meets the road.
As suburban growth continues, both in Sarasota County and all over the country,
it's crucial that we have the right leadership that shares the value of smart and responsible
development. And when that happens, we can change what the American suburbs
look like. This goes so much further than just housing, too. It will affect how we build roads,
our sense of community, convenience, and more—all of which you can learn
about in this next video. And be sure to subscribe to see more videos like this.
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