March 2010 » book review

Civitas in Suburbia

Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs
by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson
John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ; 2009
256 pages; hardcover; numerous b&w and color images; $75
ISBN 978-0-470-04123-9

Reviewed by Clem Labine

Here's the good news: The market is proving the validity of New Urbanism's long-held contention that mixed-use, walkable communities are more desirable than suburban sprawl. The bad news: This validation is coming 50 years too late for the millions of Americans who already live in sprawl-based suburbs. That's where Retrofitting Suburbia comes in – it advocates drastically overhauling much of America's older suburban development, and shows in considerable detail how to make it happen. At the heart of the opus is an analysis of 36 real-world projects that demonstrate not only that suburban redevelopment is economically viable, but also that the movement is well under way.

Suburban sprawl was a product of cheap gasoline and highway construction subsidized by federal taxes. As gasoline prices rise inexorably, and commutes on traffic-choked roads get longer and longer, the idea of transforming inner-ring suburbs into live-work communities is becoming increasingly attractive. The authors of Retrofitting Suburbia, Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, contend that just as systematic development of cul-de-sac-based sprawl was the main architectural focus of the last 50 years, so the next 50 years will be aimed at redevelopment of sprawl into more urbanized, connected, sustainable places.

Recent proof of the authors' contention is contained in a new report issued by CEOs for Cities, a national group of urban leaders. The report, titled "How Walkability Raises Home Values in U.S. Cities," examines the connection between home values and walkability in 15 U.S. residential markets. Each neighborhood was given a "WalkScore," with zero being totally car-dependent and 100 meaning most consumer destinations were within walking distance of the typical home. The key conclusion: A one-point increase in WalkScore is associated with between a $700 and $3,000 increase in home values.

Although Retrofitting Suburbia is an advocacy book, it is not confined to theory and polemics. The text provides a lucid, concise overview of demographic and development trends of the past 50 years, showing readers how we got into the unsustainable fix our nation is in today. It then lays out planning principles that can mitigate many of the resource-wasting aspects of typical suburban developments. And it follows with perceptive descriptions and analyses of 36 suburban redevelopment projects across the U.S., ranging from minor big-box remodelings to a $750-million transformation of a regional shopping center into a downtown neighborhood. One common principle underlying all these projects is that the new construction took place on ground that already bore the imprint of prior development – no woodlands or agricultural fields were harmed in the creation of these undertakings!

The book demonstrates that successful retrofitting of sprawl usually requires major reconstruction to equip sites with features such as streets formed into traditional blocks, interconnected roads, provisions for all transportation types, higher population densities, mixed residential/commercial buildings, affordable housing, set-asides for protected natural landscapes, and well-designed public spaces. The aim of such revamping is to reduce the blight of boarded-up malls, cut car traffic, increase foot and bicycle access and eliminate barriers between residential and retail areas. Dunham-Jones and Williamson argue that major conversions like these are essential to accommodate the rapidly changing demographic and economic realities of our nation.

The authors examine redevelopment possibilities presented by various situations such as dead malls and strip retail centers, old industrial parks, edge-city infill and tract developments adjacent to transit stops. One of the most interesting projects analyzed in some detail is the Belmar development in Lakewood, CO, just a few miles from downtown Denver. A huge moribund enclosed mall, Villa Italia, occupied the center of a 104-acre superblock, surrounded by a sea of parking lots. Working closely with the city of Lakewood and local citizens, developers determined that what people wanted was essentially a mixed-use downtown area, with features similar to what is found in the LoDo district in Denver's center city. The massive transformation began in 2001, with build-out scheduled for completion in 2012.

The current Belmar development creates a downtown center that Lakewood never had, and required the scraping and rebuilding of the entire 104-acre site, starting with the division of the superblock into 23 urban-scaled streets and blocks. The result is a mixed-use, walkable destination with nearly triple the built area of the previous shopping mall, combining retail, housing, commercial and government offices, plus public spaces for civic uses. The new Belmar street grid connects with streets in the adjacent Lakewood community. While the street matrix is fixed, the mix of uses on each block is subject to change over time, as market forces dictate. A network of open spaces within the street grid provides room for arts programming that enlivens the atmosphere and promotes the idea of "going downtown."

The practical real-world tone of the volume makes it an ideal textbook for courses on urbanism and town planning. It's also a must-read handbook for urban planners, developers, public officials, residential architects and real estate professionals – especially those for whom two-hour commutes are a fact of daily life.  

Clem Labine is the founder of Old-House Journal, Traditional Building and Period Homes. His interest in preservation started with his purchase and restoration of an 1883 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He is now editor emeritus of Traditional Building and Period Homes.

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