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BOOK REVIEWReshaping Metropolitan America: DevelopmentTrends and Opportunities to 2030By Dr. Arthur C. Nelson, FAICPReviewed by Dr. Donald Bradley, AICPIn his new book, Professor Arthur Nelson says the segregation ofland uses, once the mainstay of zoning practices, has given way tomixed-use development as the preferred scenario of the long-rangeregional plans in the 21st century. He suggests several incrementaldevices to make our cities healthier, more livable, and sustainable.He displays research data in over two dozen tables in this fact-filledbut thin paperback.Nelson systematically leads us through the changing trends of cityand regional planning from the race to the suburbs of the 50s, tractsubdivisions of the 60s, planned unit developments of the 80s,through cluster housing and condominiums, the “new urbanism,”transit and pedestrian oriented development, planned retirementcommunities, and exurban, urban, and rural sprawl.The author argues that we must radically revise our thinking andplanning based on each of the several generations’ preferences (e.g.,Eisenhowers, Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y). The Millennialsprefer living closer to the core central business districts, transitvillages, or along commercial corridors to have options for livingand working without long single-occupancy automobile commutingto work. They prefer (or at least say they prefer) walking, bicycling,or using public transit (like light rail or express buses); small lots,less yard work, more neighborhood parks; higher populationdensities; and scaled down residences instead of “McMansions.”The book cites several studies which all seem to agree that ourbest strategy to meet our housing goals over the next two decadeswould be to build infill and redevelopment projects on existingoutmoded homes. Nelson dutifully provides statistics from nearly100 online sources. These include HUD, US Census, NAHB,Pew Research, Washington Post, The New York Times, BloombergMarkets, Huffington Post, USDOT, The Wall Street Journal, ULI,Smart Growth America, the Brookings Institution, the FederalReserve Board, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies,Resources for the Future, APA, The National Academy of Sciences,the UN, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Woods & Poole Economics,Bureau of Labor Statistics, and EPA.Nelson cites the shifts over time in new residential constructionin the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan regions. Here, for example, ishow the infill and redevelopment share of new units has increasedin these metropolitan areas:• New York City, from 15 to 63 percent,• Chicago, from 7 to 45 percent,• Portland, from 9 to 38 percent,(continued on page 16)Northern News 7 May 2013