Response to article "Bay Area needs to rethink rules on land use, zoning"
SF Gate.com, October 21, 2007
Heather Hood, Director, UC Berkeley Center for Community Innovation
Dear Editor:
There has been a misunderstanding. Let me clarify. Joseph Perkins of
the Homebuilders' Association of Northern California cites a study by the
Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD) at UC-Berkeley to
support his claim that to house a growing population, the Bay Area must
release open space for development. I co-authored this study with
Professor John Landis.
In fact, the study draws precisely the opposite conclusion. By 2020, the
Association of Bay Area Governments projects that the region will need
359,000 new homes. Our research found that under a moderate definition of
infill, the region's existing cities and towns could add over 650,000 new
homes — nearly double the need.
We do need to keep rules on land use and zoning updated to make it easier
to invest new growth in downtowns and along main streets. If we can focus
on this, we don't have to pave the Bay Area's natural landscapes. Our
existing cities have plenty of room to grow.
Heather Hood
Director, UC Berkeley Center for Community Innovation
Co-Author, "The Future of Infill Housing in California: Opportunities,
Potential, Feasibility and Demand" -2005
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