Edge cities are key to smart growth, ULI says

The transformation and densification of suburban business districts could reduce sprawl and traffic congestion and boost quality of life, according to the DC-based developers’ group. One official calls this the “logical next step” for smart growth. There are more than 200 suburban business centers — defined as having at least five million square feet of commercial floor space — in the US, according to a report by the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Most of these centers are “edge cities,” i.e., relatively low-density areas of single-use offices and malls set in parking lots and served by arterial roads. Although edge cities epitomize sprawl, they represent a smart growth opportunity, according to ULI’s report “Ten Principles for Reinventing Am-erica’s Suburban Business Districts.” Edge cities are all potential sites for densification, mixed-use, and pedestrian-oriented design along the lines of the New Urbanism. In a press conference announcing the report, Richard Rosan, president of ULI, offered Bethesda, Maryland, as a great example of urban design. Bethesda, located just north of the District of Columbia and served by commuter rail, combines the employment capacity of an edge city with the form of a historic city. By contrast, Tysons Corner, an edge city built in recent decades in northern Virginia, is offered by ULI as a typical example of automobile-dependent suburban sprawl. But Tysons Corner also demonstrates the potential of edge cities. A new urban town center has been proposed there, with potential connections to the DC Metro system. ULI calls on the public sector to help transform edge cities — mainly through changes in codes allowing mixed use and higher densities. ULI also contends that local governments need to work with developers to ensure that suburban business districts include housing — and that the homes be affordable to middle-income workers such as teachers and police officers as well as upper-income professionals. While many of the public sector strategies do not cost much money — e.g., changing zoning codes — some do. ULI notes that municipalities may need to pick up the tab for structured parking garages, as is the case in the successful revitalization of Silver Spring, Maryland, another transit-served business center north of DC. The group notes that regional cooperation will also be necessary to reinvent edge cities. ULI believes the coming decade could be one in which connectivity — transit, mixed-use, and pedestrian access — is emphasized. “People want to live and work in places that are safe and vibrant, not just tolerable,” notes ULI fellow Maureen McAvey. Making edge cities “places to enjoy” as opposed to just places to work and buy consumer goods is the “logical next step” for smart growth, she says. Developers and the public will benefit from what ULI calls a “placemaking dividend” in the form of higher property values, retail sales, and tax revenues. In putting together the report — which is available for free on the web (www.uli.org) or in the form of a more detailed book Transforming Suburban Business Districts — ULI examines successful examples around the US. These generally consist of new urban town centers. The reports include useful tables, including one comparing attributes of business center types (see page 3 of this issue). The fragmented and dispersed suburban districts are good candidates for new greenfield town centers, while infill strategies are more appropriate in compact and downtown sites. In fragmented and dispersed edge cities, block sizes are 6 to 12 times larger than urban blocks, making these areas difficult for pedestrians to navigate. See side by side illustration of fragmented and compact suburban business district on this page. The 10 principles referred to in the report are: 1) Understand your position in the market; 2) Build community support; 3) Develop a vision and a plan; 4) Stress results over regulation; 5) Break up the superblocks and optimize connectivity; 6) Embrace mixed use; 7) Honor the human-scale by creating a pedestrian-friendly place; 8) Think transit — think density; 9) Create a public/private partnership; 10) Share and manage parking.