Retrofitting Suburbia: Transforming Sprawl into Sustainable Communities

For decades, suburban landscapes have been characterized by sprawling developments, car-dependent lifestyles, and environmental concerns. However, a new vision is emerging: retrofitting suburbia. This innovative approach seeks to transform underperforming suburban spaces into vibrant, sustainable communities that address climate change, public health, and affordability challenges.

The Need for Suburban Transformation

The conventional suburban model, with its detached buildings and reliance on automobiles, has significant environmental consequences. Studies show that the average suburban dweller has a carbon footprint three times larger than their urban counterpart. This is primarily due to increased driving and energy consumption in detached homes.

Beyond environmental concerns, suburban development patterns have also been linked to public health issues. Sedentary lifestyles, driven by car dependence, contribute to rising rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. The lack of walkable environments and access to public transportation further exacerbates these problems.

Addressing Key Challenges:

Climate Change: Urbanizing suburbs can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting compact, walkable developments and reducing reliance on automobiles.
Public Health: Creating pedestrian-friendly environments and promoting active transportation options can combat sedentary lifestyles and improve public health outcomes.
Affordability: As gas prices rise, the cost of living in car-dependent suburbs becomes increasingly unsustainable. Retrofitting suburbia can create more affordable housing options and reduce transportation expenses.

Market Forces Driving Change

Several market forces are driving the retrofitting of suburbia. Demographic shifts, particularly the aging of Baby Boomers and the preferences of Generation Y, are creating a demand for more urban lifestyles within suburban settings. These groups desire walkable communities, access to amenities, and diverse housing options.

Demographic Shifts:

Aging Boomers: Many Baby Boomers are seeking to age in place within their suburban communities but desire more convenient access to services and amenities.
Gen Y Preferences: Generation Y, also known as Millennials, often prefers urban lifestyles with walkable neighborhoods and access to public transportation, even if their jobs are located in the suburbs.

Another significant driver is the underperformance of existing suburban infrastructure, particularly underperforming parking lots. These vast expanses of asphalt represent valuable land that can be redeveloped into higher-density, mixed-use projects.

Strategies for Retrofitting Suburbia

Several strategies can be employed to retrofit suburbia and create more sustainable communities:

Reinhabitation

This strategy involves repurposing existing buildings for new uses. Examples include:

Dead malls transformed into art spaces, nursing homes, universities, or office spaces.
Big box stores converted into schools, churches, or libraries.

Redevelopment

This more comprehensive approach involves redeveloping entire sites at higher densities. Examples include:

Transforming dead malls into compact, walkable urban neighborhoods.
Building mixed-use developments on underperforming parking lots.

Regreening

This strategy focuses on restoring the natural environment and creating green spaces within suburban areas. Examples include:

Restoring wetlands on the sites of former shopping centers.
Daylighting creeks that had been culverted under parking lots.

The Power of Food

Never underestimate the power of food to turn a place around and make it a destination. A fresh coat of bright paint, a gourmet grocery, and a restaurant can transform a place.

Key Considerations for Successful Retrofits

To ensure the success of retrofitting projects, it is essential to consider the following:

Systemic Planning: Retrofitting efforts should be planned at the metropolitan scale to target areas best suited for regreening, redevelopment, or reinhabitation.
Architectural Design Quality: Retrofits should strive for high-quality architectural design that avoids the pitfalls of "faux downtowns" and "instant urbanism."
Community Engagement: It is crucial to engage the community in the planning process and address their concerns about change and development.

The Future of Suburbia

Retrofitting suburbia represents a significant opportunity to create more sustainable, equitable, and livable communities. By embracing innovative strategies and engaging in thoughtful planning, we can transform sprawling suburban landscapes into vibrant places that meet the needs of current and future generations.

It's time to support the zoning changes, the road diets, the infrastructure improvements and the retrofits that are coming soon to a neighborhood near you.