Hi everyone,
I made the comment below in response to JR's comment on Facebook. I thought it might be useful to post it here.
Hi JR,
I was at the summit; I’d like to touch on some of your concerns. I agree that Chris Lineberger had an opinion, but that was made obvious by a disclaimer. I think Cary residents are intelligent enough to be able to listen to a presentation and form their own ideas based on the information given. You’re correct in saying that there was no opposing point of view presented, but in my opinion, that was not at all necessary, for two reasons.
First, the alternative to what Lineberger promoted is simply the status-quo: Cary continuing to grow and develop in the same way it has for the past couple decades. We didn’t need anyone to stand up there and tell us what that growth would be like- every Cary resident already lives that reality; we *know* what the alternative to walkable urbanism is.
Second, even if they did want to present an opposing point of view, they’d have an extremely difficult time finding anyone of credibility in the real estate analysis, urban design, or planning sectors who would do that. Walkable urbanism is now widely accepted as the more sustainable, more livable, healthier, and, especially, more economical kind of design. I can say with almost complete certainty that they would not be able to find someone of Lineberger’s prominence (or even a less acclaimed expert) who would advocate the business-as-usual suburban sprawl development.
Lineberger explained that walkable urbanism would apply to many areas, not just downtown. Many of the strip malls, the mall, and large shopping centers would be fairly easy to retrofit into walkable urban spaces. Cary Towne Center and many older strip malls are declining in Cary and walkable urban districts could replace them. As Lineberger explained, this kind of development increases the property values of surrounding single-family homes by 40-200%.
Some of the issues you raise were in fact addressed. Walkable urbanism is a solution to increasing traffic. Protecting rural areas can also be addressed by infill (which Lineberger promoted) and increasing density within Cary. As they explained, Cary is over 80% built-out, and doesn’t have much room left to expand; infill and increasing density are really the only options for growth. Most rural areas are outside Cary.
Again, the density issue was addressed. Large blocks of trees and the imposition of Cary’s plan will likely be discussed further down the road.
I hope this helps to address some of your concerns. Feel free to message me if you’d like to discuss this more.
Finally, I'd like to add that there's no need to be alarmist about Cary changing fundamentally and becoming a totally urban area. Even Lineberger stressed that single family housing can and will stay. Most of the new urbanist development would occur in the downtown and in declining commercial centers.
I'd urge those of you who are skeptics to explore
why
it is you feel so opposed to new urbanism. There are many benefits to this type of development:
According to some studies, people living in higher density, walkable neighborhoods are happier and enjoy a higher quality of life and more community cohesion.
content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/12/walkable-neighborhoods-happy-people/1#.UYOpF7WG0rU Walkability supports healthier, more active lifestyles; auto-dependent neighborhoods have been linked to higher rates of obesity.
streetsblog.net/2012/04/11/study-finds-car-centric-neighborhoods-strongly-tied-to-childhood-obesity/Walkable, car-independent neighborhoods are also much better for the environment. Urban sprawl is one of the main contributors to climate change. Driving less means fewer emissions and less air pollution. Higher density development also leaves more room for the remaining rural areas and forests in Cary; again, sprawl is linked conclusively to widespread habitat destruction and species loss, as well as the loss of viable farmland.
Walkable neighborhoods also make life easier for people who cannot drive (for reasons of age (young or old), income, disability, etc.) They give more mobility to the elderly and allow people to be an active part of the community for a larger portion of their lifespan.
