EPA report shows continuing shift toward urban neighborhoods

An updated US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report shows a continuing shift in development toward urban neighborhoods in the US, despite a slow real estate market. EPA’s 2010 report, “Residential Construction Trends in America’s Metropolitan Regions,” updated a report that New Urban News covered in the April/May 2009 issue.

The original report covered 1990 to 2007, while the update adds data from 2008. Compared to the early 1990s, the share of construction in urban neighborhoods was up 28 percent in mid-sized metropolitan regions that have promoted redevelopment of underused sites and development around transit, such as Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; and Sacramento, California. For example, in 2008 Portland issued 38 percent of all the building permits within its region, compared to an average of 9 percent in the early 1990s; Denver accounted for 32 percent, up from 5 percent; and Sacramento accounted for 27 percent, up from 9 percent.

The latest report shows that an even stronger trend toward urban redevelopment in the largest metropolitan regions continued in 2008. New York City accounted for 63 percent of the building permits issued within its region. By comparison, the city averaged about 15 percent of regional building permits during the early 1990s. Similarly, Chicago now accounts for 45 percent of the building permits within its region, up from just 7 percent in the early 1990s. Find the report here.