Gen-Xers Leading the Way in Developing Walkable Urban Plac

This post was written by The Ground Floor contributor and ULI communications associate, Robert Krueger.

This week, Christopher Leinberger, visiting fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., held a luncheon to discuss his recently published book, The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream, at the National Press Club in Washington. The focus of his book is based on his market findings from across the country pointing to the increased market demand for walkable urbanism -- living, working and entertainment within a pedestrian environment provided by downtowns and similar places in American metropolitan areas. Leinberger discussed how the redevelopment plays out on the ground, the steps that need to be taken to encourage redevelopment, the role of transit, "private/public" financing options and the new management models evolving to keep up with the growing consumer demands.

As part of the discussion, Leinberger included a new list of 30 metropolitan areas ranked by the number of walkable places per capita throughout the areas – not just in the downtown cores. The Washington, D.C., metro area ranked first; the Tampa-Clearwater-St. Petersburg (Fla.) area ranked last. One key finding: There is a balanced distribution of walkable places located in suburban areas and urban areas.

The unintended consequences of downtown redevelopment were also addressed. Leinberger focused mainly on the lack of affordable housing; however, he also noted that there is a problem in determining what to do with obsolete drivable sub-urban housing and commercial space.

In addressing the problems of greenhouse gases and combating global warming, Leinberger pointed to denser development as a solution. He pointed out that if the whole country lived in a walkable urban place, comparable to the people in Manhattan, we would cut our CO₂ emissions by 50%.

Leinberger mentioned that in order for public policy to be adapted to achieve an urban walkable American landscape, there needs to be more investing in walkable urban infrastructure along with an increase in education/conferences from organizations such as the Urban Land Institute.

In his presentation, Leinberger stated that the reason for the new market demand for more urban walkable places can be attributed to Generation X. Leinberger claims that this generation grew up on shows like Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends, and Sex in the City, where city living is seen as hip. In comparison, the Baby Boomers grew up with shows like Leave it to Beaver. Gen-Xers view living the walkable metropolitan life as trendy instead being previously viewed as "dirty" by generations past.