Arthur Nelson and the build out of the future.

There is some great analysis work on the development of housing trends, suburbia, etc., and what housing trends we can expect in the future. A great resource is Mr. Nelson's book: "Reshaping Metropolitan America". I don't agree with his solutions, but I support the data research and results in his book. It is too narrow and doesn't really consider the broader context of climate change and how real estate can be the solution.

In his paper "The Longer View" published in the journal of the American Planning Association, that "More than $30 trillion will be spent on development between the period 2000 and 2025. nearly 50 million new homes will be built, including some 16 million that will be rebuilt or replaced entirely with other land uses. Seventy-five billion square feet of non-residential space will be built with 60 billion (square feet) replacing space that existed in 2000: New non-residential development will be equal all such development that existed in 2000"

What will be the amount of existing farmland that gets improved (in acres or square miles)? How much new water storage will be installed (in acre feet)? How many trees will be started and that are able to withstand the stress of climate change in the coming years, versus the death losses of the existing trees (think about Texas losing 10% of its trees in 2012 due to wildfire and drought stress). How much biodiversity will be enhanced on existing lands (square miles)?

Where do we find balanced growth, and where do we compensate for the lag of the past generations?

Southern Nevada Strong, Brookings Mountain West & Switch recently hosted a presentation by Metropolitan policy guru, Arthur C. Nelson of the University of Utah. Dr. Nelson shares his thoughts and analysis on reshaping metropolitan places to strengthen economic competitiveness. He emphasizes place-making and the role of transit-oriented development in economic development.