Nearly half the buildings that will be standing in 2030 do not exist today. That means we have a tremendous opportunity to reinvent our urban areas, making them more sustainable and livable for future generations. But for this vision to become reality, the planning community needs reliable data about emerging trends and smart projections about how they will play out. Arthur C. Nelson delivers that resource in Reshaping Metropolitan America.
This unprecedented reference provides statistics about changes in population, jobs, housing, nonresidential space, and other key factors that are shaping the built environment, but its value goes beyond facts and figures. Nelson expertly analyzes contemporary development trends and identifies shifts that will affect metropolitan areas in the coming years. He shows how redevelopment can meet new and emerging market demands by creating more compact, walkable, and enjoyable communities. Most importantly, Nelson outlines a policy agenda for reshaping America that meets the new market demand for sustainable places.
"Nelson paints a vivid picture of an America physically transformed in the next twenty years. Denser in form, more diverse in demographics, richer in transport and living options, the changing shape of our cities and metros will have profound implications for our economy, our environment and our health."---Bruce Katz, VP and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program, the Brookings Institution "Reshaping Metropolitan America is a useful, readable, and provocative book that should interest a diverse set of audiences." "Chris Nelson invented the big picture understanding of how we are building metropolitan America. In Reshaping Metropolitan America, he has once again shown why urbanists throughout the country turn to him to see the future of the built environment."---Christopher B. Leinberger, Professor, GWU Business School, author of The Option of Urbanism "What if all new development from 2010-2030 infilled or retrofitted suburban corridors and centers? The extensive research and compelling demographic and statistical evidence compiled here projects the myriad benefits of just such a bold-and needed-scenario. This is a must-read for planners and policymakers."---Ellen Dunham-Jones, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, coauthor of Retrofitting Suburbia "Finally we have a comprehensive view of how the American Dream is changing and why. We are a market driven culture and this important book lays out the new market forces; demographics, costs, environmental impacts, and quality of life. The good news is that they all lean in the same direction-Smart Growth will dominate the next generation of development."---Peter Calthorpe, Principal, Calthorpe Associates, author of Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change
