Return to search

Relative Costs of Infill Vs. Suburban Residential Developments: A Case Study of the Greater Baton Rouge Area

Driven by the accumulation of vacated buildings along with the need to reconstruct vacant urban areas and neighborhoods, the need to establish infill as the primary means of development in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan area is apparent. As suburban tendencies have increased, the core of our city has diminished. The principles of smart growth and infill development have been created in response these very problems. The methods have proven successful nationwide, but is the process feasible in Baton Rouge area? The answer to this very question goes well beyond yes or no. Many variables must be evaluated; the positives and negatives associated with infill and suburban development, the growth trends of Baton Rouge, and a relative cost comparison.
This research paper plans to establish an up to date comparison of development costs in the Baton Rouge area through a comparative cost study of suburban and infill development sites. It is the belief of this author that the economic as well social positives associated with the use of vacant or underutilized land with existing infrastructure will outweigh the positives associated with suburban development. This comparison can be utilized as an effective tool for developers when analyzing future development sites in Baton Rouge. If proven more beneficial, infill development could become a valuable tool in the establishment of smart growth principles as a basis and standard of development. Through channeling the actions of developers and our communities, not only will economic sense be made, but also community neighborhoods will once again be established as the backbone of our growing society.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-0515103-202624
Date28 May 2003
CreatorsBrian, John Lawrence
ContributorsVan Cox, Sadik Artunc, Dana Brown, Bruce Sharky
PublisherLSU
Source SetsLouisiana State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
Sourcehttp://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-0515103-202624/
Rightsunrestricted, I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University Libraries in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation.

Page generated in 0.0019 seconds