|
The
problem that Cape Cod and many other places face is “suburban sprawl,”
a land-consumptive, incoherent and uncontained pattern of growth
in which isolated residential subdivisions, commercial strip developments,
roadways and parking lots fragment the landscape, harm natural resources,
increase the costs for infrastructure, and make automobile use compulsory
for most travel. Sprawl is also defined by its relatively
low density. It has neither the efficiency of high-density
urban places, in which many buildings, uses and people are efficiently
served by compact infrastructure, nor the natural benefits of very
low-density rural development, in which open lands can naturally
mitigate the impacts of relatively little development and relatively
few people. The result is the rapid conversion of vast tracts
of land to development. This results in almost the same impact
as urban development with very little efficiency, as measured by
people or buildings per developed acre. Studies have shown
that suburban development is almost identical to dense urban development
in impacts to water quality and wildlife habitat while serving far
fewer people. Moreover, on Cape Cod, sprawl development relies
on on-site septic systems, which do nothing to mitigate the impacts
of nutrients on ground and surface waters, whereas more dense urban
areas can and often are served by wastewater treatment plants, which
can remove a large amount of nutrients.
This
stands in stark contrast to “smart growth,” in which development
is concentrated in distinct city, town, village and neighborhood
centers in order to preserve large, surrounding areas of open space,
countryside, and resource lands. From a design perspective,
smart growth typically integrates a variety of residential, commercial
and civic uses in a compact, attractive, pedestrian-oriented design
reflective of New England’s historic village and town centers (Mixed
Use Zoning by Town) . Developed
areas take the form of coherent and connected downtowns with distinct
edges that define the boundary between town and countryside.
The mix and close proximity of uses allow walking, biking and transit
to complement automobile use, and vastly reduces the need for parking
and roadways. A range of allowable residential densities,
types and designs provides a variety of housing prices and consumer
choices. As a result of both higher density and the proximity
of compatible and complementary uses, development necessary to serve
a given population can be accommodated on far less land, leaving
more room for open space and wildlife habitat.
Therefore,
density can be seen as positive in terms of sustainability, when
appropriately sited and mitigated with infrastructure. One
effective measure of residential density is the number of housing
units per developed acre. The greater the density of developed
land, the less land needs to be used for development.
Over
time, the trend on Cape Cod has been toward greater residential
density. The number of houses per developed acre has risen
from .87 in 1950 to 1.44 in 2000. So is that a good thing?
The answer is “no.” One reason is that the density
has not increased nearly enough to result in “smart growth” either
locally or across the region, meaning that the increase in density
during the past 50 years is inconsequential. Some studies
suggest that densities of at least 7 dwelling units per acre are
needed to effectively limit development and make urban infrastructure,
such as transit and wastewater treatment, effective and affordable.
Another
reason why this increase in density is not sustainable is that it
is occurring everywhere. There are no carefully proscribed
growth centers on Cape Cod into which development is directed.
The fragmentary nature of development at suburban densities is consuming
virtually all the remaining agricultural, forest, and natural lands
that have not already been protected. Remember that higher
density is a positive trend only if it is occurring on a relatively
small percentage of land as part of a larger growth management strategy
to protect outlying areas.
Finally,
the trend toward increasing density has halted and may be reversing.
Data (Housing
Units Per Developed Acre) indicates that the change in
density (as measured by the change in the number of housing units
divided by the change in the number of acres of developed land)
is reversing – a small but notable drop in density from 1.95 to
1.93 housing units per acre occurred during the last decade of the
past century. Thus the trend toward houses on half-acre lots
– not nearly sufficient to protect the resources of Cape Cod – continues
apace.
In
order to reach a vision of a sustainable Cape Cod, we must protect
as much of the remaining undeveloped land as possible. While
we cannot undo most of the growth that has occurred, we can accommodate
future growth on the lands we have already developed by redeveloping
these areas with taller commercial buildings and more dense residential
development in the form of apartments and townhouses – rather than
seeking additional undeveloped lands for one-story strip malls,
parking lots, and large detached houses. In doing so, it
is possible to “retrofit” these areas with infrastructure and technology
that can fix some of the problems of the past – such as installing
advanced wastewater treatment systems – while accommodating future
development needed to grow our economy and house our citizens.
The
Cape is in somewhat of an endgame at this point. Some towns
have neared residential build-out, and there is relatively little
undeveloped residential land left. However, there are still
opportunities to buy the remaining large tracts of open space or
to change zoning to allow or require clustered development and lower
density.
Commercial
development has much greater growth potential, and much could still
be contained in more distinct downtown settings or existing developed
commercial parcels. While some areas may be appropriate for
such expansion, most are not, because they were poorly sited in
the first place. Therefore, finding ways to direct commercial
development to “growth centers” – and encouraging mixed use to put
residential development and affordable housing in our downtowns
– is essential to a long-term smart growth strategy for Cape Cod.
|
