Reversing that thinking to enable "smart growth" -- a more sustainable transit and pedestrian-friendly design philosophy -- has been the work of followers of the "New Urbanism" movement. The urban planning philosophy, which first took root 25 years ago, is now beginning to penetrate the mainstream through new educational programs aimed at urban planners and city managers. 

 

One such program, the Smart Growth School, debuts in September in San Francisco and is being spearheaded by Laura Hall, a principal at urban planning firm Hall Alminana. 

 

Hall says now is the right time for sharing sustainable planning solutions with attorneys, civic leaders and urban planners because "We actually have the tools. They have been tested and they are not in beta anymore." The tools are Smart Codes, or templates, that planners can utilize as a basis for creating legislation and zoning codes for sustainable cities. The Smart Codes are available at no cost online, and are based on the New Urbanism idea that regions should be divided into "transects," or cross-section of zones that graduate from open space (T-1) to downtown mixed use areas (T-6). 

 

Hall says the Smart Growth School teaches how each zone has its own set of codes for land use, and how they can be applied to reduce residents' carbon footprint while enhancing property values. "Municipal planners need to change the code over to reduce greenhouse gases, so that's the template that we tend to start with and then calibrate for local conditions," she says. During the course, planners will write practice code that applies to their own urban density and layout. The three-day course in September qualifies students for  14.25 AICP credits. 

 

Greenhouse gas emissions in an area can be reduced by as much as a third by getting people out of their cars and creating places and neighborhoods that are pedestrian and transit oriented, according to Hall. The combination of increasing traffic, escalating petroleum prices, and concerns about climate change are altering the market value of real estate in areas of suburban sprawl. "Suburban houses are losing value faster than urban areas that are walkable and connected to transit," Hall says. "The market is adjusting."

 

The timing for a new program is also opportune because city planners have only recently become receptive to the smart growth philosophy, according to Hall. She says after years of having to sell planners on the idea, many now buy into the idea and are asking for proven solutions. 

 

Hall says the change in attitude toward suburban living has been emotional. When she grew up in the 1950s, people would celebrate when developments, malls or roadways were built. Growth is now viewed as "more noise, more traffic, and something that will lower my property values,” she says. 

 

"City planning has become a disgraced profession," according to Hall. "Nothing that planners have built in the past 40 years has increased your quality of life." 

 

Hall started the Smart Growth School because higher education has yet to latch onto their ideas. City planners "are not learning this in school," Hall says. "There are only a few universities that offer this thinking." 

 

While disconnected developments continue to add to the sprawl, Hall has a dim view of suburban life. "Many of the older suburbs that were built in the ‘70s and ‘80s may become our new ghettos." 

 

The remote mega-mall may also become a climate change casualty, Hall says. "Shopping centers all over the country are being transformed into mixed use because property owners are understanding that they can create a lot more value by building [using smart growth policies]."

 

Thanks to legislation signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2006, many California cities are addressing their carbon footprint by adopting smart growth policies. AB 32, also known as the California Global Warming Solutions Act, requires greenhouse gas emissions to revert back to 1990 levels by 2020. Hall says that since transportation contributes 41 percent of emissions, California cities are planning to comply by reducing vehicle miles traveled through transit-oriented development. 

 

Halls says AB 32 has prompted the abandonment of some new developments in Northern California. However, "not every city wants to do this or is enthusiastic about it, but they are going to have to do it" because of the law, she says.

 

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