Neotraditionalism

[Darrell Brosius]

I am currently attempting to develop neotraditional projects and the NIMBY's and others are screaming that these types of developments over-run the school systems. Have there been any studies or comparisons done to support or refute these claims?

Thank you,
Darrell Brosius

 

[Dan]

Newtraditional developments are a relatively new concept, and there are actually very few such developments out there, at least compared to traditional automobile-oriented subdivisions. Also, neotraditional developments are usually marketed towards middle and upper middle income folks - they'd be areas where the houses are so expensive, taxes on them would probably adequately cover the services the household requires. If such developments are compared to anything, it should be the older, pre-WW2 developments that are in the town - if those areas are demographically similar to newer developments, how do they compare as far as school enrollment?

 

[Phillip Claxton]

While it does not address your specific question regarding the impact of neotraditional design on school systems, an interesting study was published in the Winter 1997 (Volume 63, Number 1) edition of the Journal of the American Planning Association entitled "Walkable Suburbs? An Evaluation of Neotraditional Communities at the Urban Edge" pages 28-44. It discusses some of the pros of having pedestrian ommunities.

Phillip Claxton
Community Planner
White River Planning &
Development District