NAHB responds to sprawl attacks

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) responded quickly to two recent attacks on sprawl, one by Vice President Al Gore and the other by the Sierra Club (both are reported in this issue of New Urban News). Perceiving that its industry is under attack when sprawl is criticized, the industry group made a number of arguments in defense of the current mode of U.S. development: 1) Most people want detached houses on the urban fringe (NAHB cites a recent poll to support that assertion); 2) The housing industry is highly regulated and responds to municipal planning and zoning codes; 3) Infill can only meet five to 10 percent of U.S. housing needs; 4) Less than five percent of the total U.S. land mass is urbanized; 5) Population growth will continue to drive demand for housing on the fringe of metropolitan areas. The group reports that “to promote sensible growth, NAHB has set up a Sensible Growth Working Group made up of a wide range of home builders, planners and local officials with a five-part plan to address the challenges of growth.” This includes working with local communities to encourage: compact development, infill projects, preservation of open space, construction of infrastructure, and “a variety of housing choices that meet consumer demand.”