A first-of-its-kind study measuring market demand for new

A first-of-its-kind study measuring market demand for new urbanist housing in the Philadelphia region is being funded by the GreenSpace Alliance of Southeastern Pennsylvania and 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania. The study, by Zimmerman-Volk Associates of Clinton, New Jersey, is examining sites in four representative locations: inner city West Philadelphia; first-ring suburb Yeadon; the historic town of Phoenixville; and a greenfield site, Ludwig’s Corner, on the suburban fringe of Chester County. “We’re hoping to identify a latent market demand that isn’t being served by the older housing stock or the suburban sprawl,” says Mark McGuigan, director of the GreenSpace Alliance. The goal is to encourage redevelopment of infill and brownfield sites. The greenfield site is included to give the study more credibility with developers, who build mostly on the suburban fringe. “If we only looked at older communities, developers may not relate to the study sufficiently,” he says. Through demographic analysis, Zimmerman-Volk will offer predictions on the optimum mix of housing types and prices, and present likely absorption rates for the properties.