The New' Burbs The Exurbs and Their Implications for Planning Policy

Davis, Judy S.; Nelson, Arthur C.; Dueker, Kenneth J.

doi:10.1080/01944369408975551

Cited by 136 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Glaeser and Kahn (2003) argue that the widespread use of the car as a means of travel has made sprawl an inevitable market outcome. 1 Davis, Nelson, and Dueker (1994) report results of a survey finding that 60% of people who move to so-called ex-urban locations beyond traditional suburbs move there to have large lots and a rural lifestyle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoning, TDRs and the density of development

McConnell

Walls

Kopits

2006

Journal of Urban Economics

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Many communities on the urban fringe are implementing a range of policies to preserve farmland and open space, cluster residential development, and guide development to areas with existing infrastructure. These efforts are an attempt to control overall growth and the concomitant loss in open space and also to counter a trend toward the so-called large lot development that often takes place in these areas. Planners have argued that policies to manage density are the most important local policy focus for urban areas in the coming years.It is possible that large lot development and sprawl are themselves the result of government policy. Most local governments use zoning to establish minimum acreage requirements for each residential dwelling unit; in ex-urban localities, these limits are often quite high. Developers might build a subdivision with average lot sizes greater than the minimum but they cannot by law go below it. Some researchers have argued, however, that the spatial patterns of development are simply the natural result of household preferences and market forces.In this paper, we address the question of whether zoning limits are the primary cause of lowdensity, sprawling development or whether market forces tend to dictate this outcome. If zoning limits account for low-density development in at least some cases, how would development patterns be different if there had been no such rules? We begin by constructing a simple model of the developer decision about the density of new development. The subdivision is the unit of observation, and developers must weigh both demand and cost considerations in choosing density, in addition to complying with zoning restrictions that vary across parcels. We apply the model using parcel-level data from a region where zoning rules vary but are exogenous to the period under study. Calvert County, Maryland, near Washington, DC, is an historically rural county that has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The county has a transferable development rights (TDRs) program that has led to a great deal of variability in the intensity of development across properties. We are able to not only examine the extent to which zoning has contributed to large lot development but also to determine the economic forces that underlie density decisions. Finally, we are able to forecast how density would have been different in the absence of zoning rules by estimating a Tobit equation that is censored for the observations constrained by zoning.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoning, TDRs and the density of development

McConnell

Walls

Kopits

2006

Journal of Urban Economics

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“…However, it is now widely recognized that exurbia is considerably more varied in terms of income and appearance, and is often intermingled with other types of rural and suburban land use (e.g., Berube et al 2006). Davis and Nelson (1994) and Nelson and Sanchez (1999) both find through quantitative surveys that exurbanites are not substantially dissimilar from suburbanites: white, upper-middle-class, and moderate to conservative politically, although they are more likely to be two-income households and have longer average commute times. Exurbanites appear to get their income primarily from the city, including both downtown and suburban job centers, though some may work from home (Davis and Nelson 1994;Hayden 2003:185;Travis 2007).…”

Section: Literature Review: Past Understandings Of Exurbiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Davis and Nelson (1994) and Nelson and Sanchez (1999) both find through quantitative surveys that exurbanites are not substantially dissimilar from suburbanites: white, upper-middle-class, and moderate to conservative politically, although they are more likely to be two-income households and have longer average commute times. Exurbanites appear to get their income primarily from the city, including both downtown and suburban job centers, though some may work from home (Davis and Nelson 1994;Hayden 2003:185;Travis 2007). Other exurbanites are retired, but even these residents are dependent on income earned elsewhere for their livelihoods, transmitted through pension funds, investments, interest payments, and the like (Duane 1999).…”

Section: Literature Review: Past Understandings Of Exurbiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Davis and Nelson (1994) find that "desire for space and rural amenities" (a pull factor) and dissatisfaction with suburban environments (a push factor) are both important motivators for exurbanites. Crump (2003) finds that Sonoma County, California, suburbanites are more concerned than exurbanites with easy highway access and with affordability, while exurbanites are more drawn to living in a "rural" environment.…”

Section: Literature Review: Past Understandings Of Exurbiamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gold Country: the politics of landscape in exurban El Dorado County, California

Beebe

Wheeler

2012

Journal of Political Ecology

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Low-density exurban landscapes threaten ecosystems and pose challenges for urban and regional planning, especially in nations with relatively weak rural land use regulation like the United States. Growth management efforts in such areas have generally been difficult due to strong pro-development forces and cultures of landowner rights. This article explores the political ecology of planning in one such exurban place, El Dorado County in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of Sacramento, California. Through review of historical documents, news articles, over a dozen interviews with knowledgeable local actors, and GIS analysis of growth patterns, we discuss how a demobilization of local planning develops through dynamics of power, fear, distrust, and antagonism. We explore some possible strategies for developing stronger local planning mechanisms, including more collaborative planning, better articulation of alternative growth models, and strengthened state and regional planning frameworks.Keywords: Exurbia, political ecology, urban planning, landscape, cultural geography, California.

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“…In the United States, despite recent interest in compact growth, much new housing construction still occurs on large lots, with new residents relying on the expansion of transportation and utilities infrastructure to support increasingly dispersed lifestyles (Davis, Nelson & Dueker, 1994;Ewing 1997). While average lot sizes decreased nationally over the past few decades (Sarkar, 2011, p. 2), the population density of new growth is not trending upwards (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000aBureau, , 2000bBureau, , 2010; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2009a, p. 31).…”

Section: Study Location: San Joaquin Valleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Impacts to Agricultural Revenue and Government Service Costs from Urban Growth

Roth

Thorne

Johnston

et al. 2012

JAFSCD

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Urban expansion in rural areas may impact agricultural revenues and the burden of service provision on local governments. Spatially explicit urban growth models shed light on the consequences of such land use decisions. The San Joaquin Valley, an important agricultural region of California, will double in population by 2050. Using this region as an example, we modeled the spatial patterns of urban growth under seven policy scenarios and calculated potential loss of annual agricultural revenue from each. We also measured the distance from existing urban areas to new development in order to develop scenario-specific indicators of the cost to local governments for providing urban services such as sewer, water, roads, police and fire protection.As with all modeling exercises, an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the model being applied is essential for interpretation.

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The New' Burbs The Exurbs and Their Implications for Planning Policy

Cited by 136 publications

References 35 publications

Zoning, TDRs and the density of development

Zoning, TDRs and the density of development

Gold Country: the politics of landscape in exurban El Dorado County, California

Modeling Impacts to Agricultural Revenue and Government Service Costs from Urban Growth

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