The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Smart Growth program conducts various surveys to gauge public opinion on land use, growth and community issues.
Smart Growth is an urban planning and transportation concept that concentrates growth in dense urban areas to minimize sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walk-able, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a range of housing choices.
NAR’S 2011 Community Preference Survey explores Americans' wants regarding neighborhood characteristics such as proximity to parks and shopping, walk-ability, and commuting time, and the trade-offs in home type and size that people may be willing to accept in order to obtain those neighborhood preferences. Walk-able communities are defined as those where shops, restaurants and local businesses are within walking distance from homes.
Interestingly, the survey reveals that most Americans would like to live in “live, work and play” planned communities where shops, restaurants, and local business are within a short commute (by walk or other means) from their homes, as long as those communities can provide detached single-family homes.
According to the survey, 56% of respondents prefer smart growth neighborhoods over neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation. The survey also shows that most Americans would choose a smaller home and smaller lot if it would keep their commute time to 20 minutes or less.
When considering a home purchase, 77% of respondents said they would look for neighborhoods with abundant sidewalks and other pedestrian-friendly features, and 50% would like to see improvements to existing public transportation rather than initiatives to build new roads and developments.
The survey also revealed that while space is important to home buyers, many are willing to sacrifice square footage for less driving. Eighty percent of those surveyed would prefer to live in a single-family, detached home as long as it didn’t require a longer commute, but nearly three out of five of those surveyed—59%—would choose a smaller home if it meant a commute time of 20 minutes or less.
Community characteristics are very important to most people according to the survey. When considering a home purchase, 88% of respondents placed more value on the quality of the neighborhood than the size of the home, and 77% of those surveyed want communities with high-quality schools.
So what does all this mean? Is the pendulum slowly swinging back to smaller houses, or is this a reaction to rising energy prices and the push to reduce America’s consumption habits? It could also be due to the aging baby boomers who’ve been tired of long commutes to the ever-sprawling suburbs in metro areas for decades. There are no clear answers and only time will tell if this trend is here to stay.
NAR’s President Ron Phipps said “Realtors care about improving communities through smart growth initiatives. Our members don’t just sell homes, they sell neighborhoods. Realtors understand that different home buyers are looking for all kinds of neighborhood settings and that many home buyers want walkable, transit-accessible communities.”
Smart Growth is an urban planning and transportation concept that concentrates growth in dense urban areas to minimize sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walk-able, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a range of housing choices.
NAR’S 2011 Community Preference Survey explores Americans' wants regarding neighborhood characteristics such as proximity to parks and shopping, walk-ability, and commuting time, and the trade-offs in home type and size that people may be willing to accept in order to obtain those neighborhood preferences. Walk-able communities are defined as those where shops, restaurants and local businesses are within walking distance from homes.
Interestingly, the survey reveals that most Americans would like to live in “live, work and play” planned communities where shops, restaurants, and local business are within a short commute (by walk or other means) from their homes, as long as those communities can provide detached single-family homes.
According to the survey, 56% of respondents prefer smart growth neighborhoods over neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation. The survey also shows that most Americans would choose a smaller home and smaller lot if it would keep their commute time to 20 minutes or less.
When considering a home purchase, 77% of respondents said they would look for neighborhoods with abundant sidewalks and other pedestrian-friendly features, and 50% would like to see improvements to existing public transportation rather than initiatives to build new roads and developments.
The survey also revealed that while space is important to home buyers, many are willing to sacrifice square footage for less driving. Eighty percent of those surveyed would prefer to live in a single-family, detached home as long as it didn’t require a longer commute, but nearly three out of five of those surveyed—59%—would choose a smaller home if it meant a commute time of 20 minutes or less.
Community characteristics are very important to most people according to the survey. When considering a home purchase, 88% of respondents placed more value on the quality of the neighborhood than the size of the home, and 77% of those surveyed want communities with high-quality schools.
So what does all this mean? Is the pendulum slowly swinging back to smaller houses, or is this a reaction to rising energy prices and the push to reduce America’s consumption habits? It could also be due to the aging baby boomers who’ve been tired of long commutes to the ever-sprawling suburbs in metro areas for decades. There are no clear answers and only time will tell if this trend is here to stay.
NAR’s President Ron Phipps said “Realtors care about improving communities through smart growth initiatives. Our members don’t just sell homes, they sell neighborhoods. Realtors understand that different home buyers are looking for all kinds of neighborhood settings and that many home buyers want walkable, transit-accessible communities.”
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