Introduction  |  Conclusion   |   Speakers  |   Sponsors

In most communities there is little consideration of the impact of a new development - visually, physically, economically - on its immediate neighbors and the entire community. In addition to standard considerations such as zoning and traffic, every development decision should be evaluated for its long-term impact on immediate neighbors and the entire community. The community is justified in encouraging or requiring diversity of users and an economic mix in any new construction or rehabilitation of existing structures, use of garages and parking structures rather than surface lots and creation of street-level retail spaces instead of solid blank walls. The economics of a project and its effects on the sometimes delicate balance of urban life around it must be taken into account.

Developers of large projects are not the only ones who can have a positive impact. Speaker Doug Kelbaugh suggested an idea that individual homeowners can adopt: "Encourage owners of single-family homes to add an accessory apartment to their home or above their garage. Accessory units are probably the quickest and single most cost-effective way to provide affordable housing units."