New Urbanism’s Future – Utah Edition

TRAX - Downtown Salt Lake City

I have been a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) for over 15 years. In fact, one could argue I have been affiliated with CNU for my entire professional career. CNU has certainly shaped my thinking for longer than my awareness of CNU as an organization. I have allowed that influence to drive me professionally to the point of having been put in the position of having to choose between where to live and New Urbanism – choosing between professional relationships and New Urbanism – choosing between employment opportunities and New Urbanism. New Urbanism won out every time. Why? Because it is the absolute correct mindset for making decisions which face us in the present and the foreseeable future. When I say that, I am speaking specifically about Utah, the Wasatch Front and the challenges that are presently staring us in the face.

The first (and most important) step in understanding the general nature of what New Urbanism is and how a New Urbanist thinks is to read the Charter of the New Urbanism. This is important because it’s the principals of the Charter which become the lens through which one is then able to identify solutions to problems which exist. Utah has problems like other parts of the country, but also has issues which are specific to Utah because of its geography, culture, and circumstances.

Next, when I contemplate the future of New Urbanism from the perspective of the state of Utah, the natural order in organizing my personal thoughts was to think about where we are in the present here in Utah. Where are we today, where do things stand, and where do the challenges exist as we move forward?

Salt Lake City - 1st & Main

In taking this approach, I identified four related areas that I believe are the hot button issues, and they all tend to focus on the primary issue which Governor Herbert spoke about in his State of the State address: Growth. His focus was more specifically about economic growth – the health and robust nature of Utah’s economy. With that kind of positive prosperity comes a desire for those outside of its benefits to want to plug in and be part of that. Utah, for a number of years going back, has been a very healthy economic environment to come into; and so if you follow future trends reporting put out by those such as the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, they talk about what’s going on in the way population growth. We’re seeing some key things taking place.

For a number of years, much of Utah’s growth has been internal to the state, and of course we are seeing now that the numbers associated with the historic self-population are dropping while simultaneously the in-migration into Utah is rising.  This is a crucial aspect of our growth that we absolutely have to understand as it pertains to what our future is now. Our changing demographic makeup in turn connects to three other aspects of how growth must be looked at, studied, and accounted for. I like to identify these three as social inclusion, environmental stewardship, and fiscal responsibility.

Social Inclusion: As people are choosing to become part of Utah’s Wasatch Front, the dynamics are changing what is desired in terms of how we live and operate. With these changes comes the need to put together our built environment differently. One of the key aspects of that is we need to look at an approach to providing mixed-density housing which is much different than what we are doing today. What we do today is concentrated and segregated density by housing type. This housing segregation creates a separation in our communities that plays into other social aspects that are part of this discussion but should be saved for another time.

Environmental Stewardship: We understand that along Utah’s Wasatch Front there are key issues dealing with air quality, water availability, and land scarcity. We are going through a time period in which our air quality fluctuates between moderate and extremely poor. Land scarcity is another issue. I believe that we all understand that we can’t grow land – It’s a finite resource, the remainder of which we now, more than ever, must carefully manage.  While some may think that there is still room to grow in Utah County’s Cedar Valley, that idea is a fallacy of the last of these issues – water availability. Water is also a finite resource and can only go so far in terms of assisting in the expansion of growth.

Fiscal Responsibility: The role of fiscal responsibility falls into two areas. The first pertains to the building, operation, and maintenance of the infrastructure which is required to feed the growth machine. The required funding for public utilities and transportation infrastructure must come from somewhere – but it also must be distributed in a conscientious fashion. And so there’s a responsibility at both the state and local levels of government to deal with the present and future tax base and how we do that in a fiscally responsible manner.

Daybreak - South Jordan, UT (Source: Jason Yeaman)

As it pertains to my world as an urban planner and the way that I try to focus my efforts in the planning world – I work really hard in attempting to act as a bridge between public government and private developers. I do this primarily through the issue of zoning.  I am a firm believer that zoning is the DNA to our development patterns.  So, the problems that we face today in terms of how we do things, how our communities are built, how we allow our Human Habitat to grow, are directly related to the rules of local government. Zoning sets that pattern. If we are going to do things differently, then the framework under which zoning is written, operated, and regulated has to change.

I have spent a lot of time sitting with public officials who yell, kick, and scream about the deliverable of the developer, and I’m the first one to argue that what the developer is doing is following the rules of local government. If those public officials want different results, in terms of the development patterns within the cities of the Wasatch Front, they have to change the zoning, because the zoning is what sets the parameters under which the developer operates.  

Not to throw shade just at the public side, the private side also has a responsibility. Their ways of operating are going to have to change as well. What I often hear the developer argue is that the market dictates to them what actually gets built, and so the developer tends to, in my opinion, hide behind that statement.  I’m not a firm believer in this kind of thinking because the market has shown us in different parts of the Wasatch Front, most specifically in Daybreak, that the market is accepting of different development patterns, different housing types, different ways of providing non-residential uses that are extremely different from the pattern that is absolutely prominent from Brigham City to Santaquin. 

Daybreak: Oquirrh Lake - South Jordan, UT (Source: Jason Yeaman)

So from my standpoint as it pertains to the future of the application of New Urbanism in Utah, and my personal focus professionally in my career: it all comes down to zoning. We have to change the parameters, the rules, the laws, the ordinances, that govern how development actually takes place along the Wasatch Front. Without these changes, we can do nothing but expect status quo results to the current problems which growth presently delivers us. And with a perpetuation of that status quo performance, we only have ourselves to blame for the results which we already know all too well.

All we need to know about place making can be found in…FOOD?

Creme Brulee

The longer I work in the field of urban planning I continue to find a strong relationship between the art of place making and food.  Place making, like food, consists of a relationship between a recipe, the necessary ingredients, and the artisan chef to expertly assemble the ingredients to provide the expected result.  If one would like a crème brulee there is a certain mix of ingredients that are necessary.  A particular recipe must be followed.  A caring and knowledgeable chef needs to be at the helm.  If the right ingredients aren’t used, or the recipe isn’t followed, a crème brulee will not be the end result.

Food is often very dynamic in its creation as are the places that we collectively love.  Great places don’t just happen.  They are no accident.  Recipes are used.  Ingredients are weighed and measured.  The chef executes on the recipe with the necessary ingredients.  These relationships are well understood with food, but are only now being (re)discovered when it comes to place making.

So what are the recipes and ingredients of place making?  Our recipes are the land use policies that a community uses.  This would include conventional zoning codes.  The ingredients for place making include streets, buildings, and civic spaces among other things.  The chef would be all those who make up the decision making process (i.e. government, developers, lenders, citizens).  Zoning (the recipes) tells us how the ingredients can be put together.  In the case of conventional zoning practices the “dishes” that are made (as per the recipe’s instructions) include monoculture neighborhoods, commercial strip centers, and homogeneous office parks.  While this may not be the intention, it nonetheless is the result.

“The new American city has been likened to an unmade omelet: eggs, cheese, vegetables, a pinch of salt, but each consumed in turn, raw.” (Suburban Nation)

Ratatouille (Source: Disney/Pixar)

In the Pixar/Disney film “Ratatouille” a very important lesson about place making is taught (indirectly) through food that is worth sharing.  Remy the rat is being mentored in the culinary arts by Chef Gusteau. In the particular scene I am referencing Chef Gusteau is explaining to Remy the delight of certain foods when consumed separately.  He tells Remy to take a bite of a strawberry, and to relish in the flavor the strawberry exudes.  Gusteau then instructs Remy to take a bite of cheese and note the nature of the flavor it offers.  Gusteau then tells Remy to consume the strawberry and cheese simultaneously.  When Remy does this he experience an entire different palette of flavor because of the interplay that occurs between the two foods.  The result is something that is unable to  be achieved without the two working together as they do.

The same lesson taught to Remy by Chef Gusteau also applies to place making.  It is through the different application of ingredients that a richness of urbanism can be created that is unique, engaging, and inspiring.  The creation of place is typically not an accident, although it can occur that way.  Just like an award winning recipe, the execution of that recipe by a fine chef, and the use of carefully selected ingredients – will often emit the type of genuine places where people will go out of their way to spend time.  Think of the great places you have experienced in your lifetime and answer these questions: What made those places distinctive?  How did you act differently in terms of your engagement of that place?  What aspects of that place inspired you?  What were the lasting impressions and the impact of those places on you as a person?

The translation between food and place making is a strong one.  These same questions could very easily be asked of a great restaurant that you have experienced.  The differences are just as palatable and easily identified.  It is the difference between a meal at Ruth’s Chris and McDonald’s, in my opinion.

Slow Cooking Urbanism (Source: Tom Low)

So what are the lessons to be learned from the correlation between place making and food?

LESSON 1 | Place making requires vision – As in food you have to know what you want to create and take the necessary steps to prepare for the outcome you desire.

LESSON 2 | Place making requires discipline – As in food you have to show commitment to the process that is necessary to achieve the end results that are part of the original vision.

LESSON 3 | Place making demands effort – As in food the desired results will take time and attention if the end results from the vision are going to be delivered.

LESSON 4 | Place making delivers higher returns, both financially and socially – As in food, when the right vision is identified, the right discipline is maintained, and the right discipline is exuded the place making results can be amazing.  The results are often long lasting because the investment in creation often carries over into the sense of investment and ownership for those who engage the place.

The last question to be asked in relation to this topic is – what can one do in order to more effectively generate places as opposed to projects?  There is much that can be done, but it certainly isn’t easy.  The recipes, as presently constituted, require the consumption of ingredients separately.  The end results can be as drastic as emitting Paris, France or Paris, Idaho.  I don’t know about you but I am more interested in Paris, France (no offense to Paris, Idaho intended).

Ratatouille (Source: Disney/Pixar)

Providing DNA for Transit-Oriented Development

Last night, I proudly watched as over six month’s worth of work culminated in the 5-0 vote from American Fork City’s City Council adopting a zoning code for Transit-Oriented Development around their commuter rail (FrontRunner) station. This was not an easy process by any stretch. Undertaking the project required American Fork City to take a difficult look at how the area around their transit station was positioned for future growth and admit the delivery system was broken.

It is far too easy at times, for municipal government, to simply ignore problems associated with their development patterns and point fingers at the development community for the results that follow. This is both an irresponsible and unfair approach to take, because the bottom line is that ultimately it is municipal government that must take responsibility for their growth patterns. It is their rules (zoning) that developers are required to follow which yields the unpopular results.

DNA & Genetic Sequencing

A common theme that I reiterated to the city over the course of this project was to take to heart the idea that zoning is equivalent to DNA. As with DNA, zoning sets in motion “genetic sequencing” which is what delivers the end result of the development pattern that is implemented through the requirements set forth by the zoning code. If different results are desired, then different “genetic sequencing” must be established allowing for development patterns that are more in line with the city’s vision.

This theme was especially true regarding American Fork’s desire to integrate a development pattern that would support and enhance their opportunity associated with delivering a fully functioning and supported commuter rail station. Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is the planning term for the development pattern which works to integrate future development with its relative proximity to transit infrastructure.

When done correctly, TODs deliver a magnifying impact that better serves communities on all fronts (physical place, fiscal return, environmental impact, and common good). The DNA of TODs calls for a set of “genetic sequencing” which is diametrically opposed to what conventional zoning delivers. TODs demand a human habitat which is walkable, mixed-use, development intense, activity rich, and socially diverse. To American Fork’s credit, they understood the general principles of what a TOD is supposed to be and recognized that the zoning code they were using for delivery of these principles was falling short of the intended vision. The difficult decision was made to fix the problem rather than lose the tremendous opportunity if done correctly.

Analysis was provided to the city as to the specific areas in their existing TOD Code which was failing them. This understanding then allowed for a game plan to be tailored to their needs in order to fix the problems and move forward with greater confidence as to what the development results will be. Last night was the culmination of this process. A zoning code, with the necessary DNA for delivering Transit-Oriented Development, is now in place which has the ability for implementing a future which aligns with American Fork’s vision. I am honored to have been a contributing member to this effort.

Retrofitting Suburbia: A Case Study

Our country is littered with examples of large development projects that have exceeded their useful life and are now in a position of being a financial negative rather than positive. Whether its areas in a city or town that are undeveloped, underutilized, or in need of redeployment municipal governments are faced with a myriad of decisions revolving around these underperforming assets. The analysis of and redesigning for these situations are commonly referred to as “retrofitting suburbia,” which is defined as a method of transforming existing suburban developments into sustainable, and more walkable urban places.

A few years ago, I was involved with a suburban retrofit project which required a degree of high-level analysis on a golf course that the contracting city was having to subsidize to the tune of about $800k/year. The question the city was asking was the right question – “What alternatives do we have as a city to repair our budget in relation to the financial drain coming from this golf course?” The challenge in asking the question is that many of the solutions have varying degrees of unpopularity. As is the case with many golf courses around the country they did have a useful life for multiple decades. Development occurs around the edges of golf courses and oftentimes the golf course itself is viewed as a private open space amenity that should then remain in perpetuity. Because the full impact of the golf courses financial deficiency is then paid for by all citizens of the municipality that owns the facility it doesn’t feel like the degree of burden that it truly is when compared to alternatives which would remove the economic liability.

In this particular analysis the city gave us as the consultant three scenarios to analyze and offer recommendations based on the findings of each:

SCENARIO 1 – Do nothing: Was there any potential for keeping the golf course intact and potentially sell the course to a private operator to own, care for and manage the facility?

SCENARIO 2 – Single Family Residential (SFR): Sell the golf course to residential developers, allowing the property to infill with single family – large lot – homes as are found on all four sides of the golf course today.

SCENARIO 3 – Mixed-Use / Mixed Density (MU/MD): Sell the golf course, incrementally, for redevelopment of mixed-use/mixed density neighborhoods and centers.

Putting aside all politics associated with the redevelopment of the golf course property there was no argument that could reasonably be made in regards to keeping the golf course running at a present financial loss of $800k/year. This was clearly viewed as being fiscally irresponsible. The question revolved around the correct strategy associated with redeveloping the site as identified in SCENARIO 2 and 3.

In comparing these redevelopment scenarios, it also became abundantly clear that the method by which development could potentially occur over time might be a determining factor. Under the SFR scenario selling the entire site to the highest bidder would provide what would appear to be the quickest and cleanest means of liquidating the property and the operating deficit. This scenario would also be saddling the property with a reduced value (based on the typical market requirement for a bulk discount on the sale to offset the long-term carrying cost that a developer would incur for a site of this size). The operating deficit from the golf course would reappear in time with operations & maintenance expenses associated with redevelopment of the property, as infrastructure will be dedicated to the city and become a future liability. This liability would remain on the city’s books, in perpetuity, with no opportunity for relief as they presently have in looking at the potential development of the property as they are considering today. The SFR development pattern is one that has extreme prominence in the area, and thus is something that they would already have an understanding in regard to the subsidy that they are already paying with this low-density development pattern. It is no secret that low density SFR does not pay for itself. It is, as the golf course is presently, a land use pattern that doesn’t pull its weight on the city’s financial ledger. For further reference, the following article is recommended: “The Growth Ponzi Scheme.”

Looking closer at the MU/MD scenario, there are some direct advantages that can be taken with this approach that would provide the city an opportunity to better control their own destiny AND make more money over the long term. A MU/MD approach would allow the city to manage and control their own destiny on a handful of fronts:

First, the city would control the entitlement because they are the governing entity. With the right guidance, they would be able to manage a more robust entitlement package for the property with less pointed opposition because of the manner in which they would be able to address issues that a developer can’t and frankly never will.

Second, the city would have the potential to act as a land bank and control the AMOUNT of property that goes into the market and WHEN those influxes of developable land take place. Since the city has no basis in the land, they would also be able to leverage not having debt as a way of generating opportunities for managing the development process, and in so doing yield more money over time without an up-front value hit as would be experienced if the property is sold all at once – in bulk form.

Third, a MU/MD approach would allow for the generation of revenue other than property tax, while doing it using a development pattern that is poised to generate much higher value due to the lack of supply in relation to demand stemming simultaneously from Baby Boomers and Millennials strong desire for walkable urbanism. For further reference, the following article is recommended: “Boomers, Millennials, and the McMansions No One Wants.” It’s of extreme importance to note that this article is coming from the National Association of Realtors, which cares primarily about selling real estate. You will see in the article that their argument is FOR an MU/MD approach because the market is underserved and it’s what the market is demanding. They also argue that the SFR market is over saturated and will be challenged moving forward because the demand side of that market is shrinking.

Fourth, the city would also stand to generate value on the balance of the property being held with every additional development project that takes place on the land sold into the market for development. This would, again, yield higher returns and further strengthen the city coffers during the development time period of the property as a whole.

Fifth, the development costs associated with MU/MD are less per unit and thus more attractive to developers (especially when paired with the mixed density portion of this equation). For further reference, the following article is recommended: “Smart Growth & Conventional Suburban Development: An Infrastructure Case Study for the EPA”

Lastly, due to the political challenges associated with making an argument for decommissioning a golf course that has been in service in the city for multiple decades an MU/MD argument for developing the property can be made solely on the basis of fiscal responsibility if need be. There is a myriad of supporting documentation to demonstrate that an MU/MD pattern for the property will help insure stronger financial solvency.

If you are unfamiliar with the term “retrofitting suburbia” you will become familiar with it, because it is poised to become one of the largest redevelopment opportunities in our country. This golf course example is merely one example of many that have already occurred and many more that will come. As these examples become more prevalent in our work as planners and urban designers it will become imperative to recognize how to identify and analyze the solutions for consideration.