Sustainable urban growth can be achieved in part by increasing density through infill development. Done right, infill development encourages already developed areas to become more diverse and livable, while limiting urban sprawl and all the public health, environmental, and infrastructure problems that accompany it. In Pima County’s 2015 update to the Comprehensive Plan, infill development is identified as a goal for land use policy. This study utilizes a Python script to build a model of the Hillside Development Overlay Zone (HDZ) to aid in removing zoning barriers to this goal. This a) improves the permitting process; b) encourages purchase of parcels outside of hillside areas and; c) encourages innovative design on hillside areas. The visualization is available on Pima County’s MapGuide website, allowing developers to make informed decisions about purchasing, permitting, and designing on HDZ parcels. In addition, this study uses a Kernel Density analysis to suggest areas where HDZ can be removed, without losing protection for mountainous areas. These suggestions are submitted to Pima County Development Services.

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This study explores the potential to increase housing options in the core of Denton, Texas by way of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) housing type. Literature on ADU development, including state and local laws that enable their development, were reviewed to explore the potential for an ADU initiative in Denton. Case study cities with ADU ordinances, Santa Cruz, CA and El Paso, TX, were reviewed to gather insight on their purpose, process and ordinance. Local multi-family development in downtown Denton was reviewed to document an increase in multi-family development in the core of the city since 2003. City of Denton planning and development policies were reviewed to understand the extent to which ADUs are currently permitted. Finally, based on the literature, case study findings and existing conditions in Denton, this report suggests methods to permit ADUs at a more comprehensive scale. This study concludes with a recommendation to designate the existing infill special purpose district as a boundary to promote comprehensive accessory dwelling unit development within the City of Denton. / text

Calculating the numbers of people, their age, and income demographic in our future not only gives the idea of how people’s lifestyle will change, but also provides a clue of how planners should prepare the future. In this perspective, planners should pay close attention to any possible changes in demographic profile. By closely researching the cause and effect of the changes, they are able to be more responsible to the future and design an environment that better meets the needs of the population. According to many researches about population projection, we will experience a significant shift in population pyramid and this can be traced to the Baby Boomer generation’s aging. This report starts with connecting the population change to the recent development theories in urban planning and design field. To make our living environment better, and to make the urban theories, such as Infill Development, or New Urbanism, more sustainable, I think the development patterns should be more flexible to reflect our future demographic changes. By doing so, we will be able to maximize the advantages of those theories and make our built environment more sustainable stage. / text

Oregon's Statewide Planning Goals embody Smart Growth in their effort to revitalize urban areas, finance environmentally responsible transportation systems, provide housing options, and protect natural resources; yet the State defers to its municipalities to implement this planning framework. This research focuses on Goal 14 (Urbanization), linking most directly to Smart Growth Principle 7 (Strengthen and Direct Development toward Existing Communities). It assesses Eugene's, Keizer's, Salem's, and Springfield's growth management policies that specifically target infill development of single family homes against this Goal and Principle. Though these municipalities must demonstrate consistency with the same Goals (see Supplemental File 1 for this context), this research questions whether sufficiently different policy approaches to curtailing sprawl yield significantly different results. The primary analytical method is a logistic regression that uses parcel-level data to understand how administration affects development by isolating these policies' direct effects on observed outcomes (see Supplemental File 2 for this theory).

Urban renewal and rampant suburbanization, like in many North American cities, has led to the decline of downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. This thesis proposes a small-scale, child-oriented in?ll project as an alternate mode of development that retains historic fabric and repairs the urban ethos. A narrow, T-shaped, vacant lot in the heart of downtown provides the testing grounds for this intervention. Dynamic program combinations, and playful architectural propositions are presented as strategies to reintegrate children as active participants within the downtown area.

The following report details research and analysis in order to assess the background market and market-based feasibility of the development of efficiency apartment units in the central Austin Area. It explores the potential and opportunities of reducing the size of apartments and promoting efficiency apartment unit development as a strategy to improve housing affordability for the Generation Y (Gen Y) population while taking advantage of urban redevelopment investments near Austin’s main TODs. The body of this study will discuss: (1) Generation Y and its impact on Austin’s housing market; (2) concepts and facts related to housing affordability; (3) strategies used by the city of Austin to promote infill development and existing transit oriented development sites; and (4) an overview of key housing development strategies and the real estate development process, including market analysis and absorption forecast under current housing market conditions. The study evaluates the implications of a significant demand for less expensive and smaller alternative housing products for a growing population group near downtown Austin. This report may contributes to the policy discussion about different approaches to housing affordability and offers an assessment guide for new housing development opportunities for a diverse range of city residents. / text

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