November 23, 2024

In celebration of World Town Planning Day, the School of City and Regional Planning (SCaRP) hosted a deep dive into housing development across the nation.

"The theme this year is Homes Start with Planning," said Alex Kozelas, president of the Student Planning Association (SPA), which organized the event. "So it focuses on the imperative need for planning and delivering housing that meets and exceeds the needs of communities in inclusive and equitable ways."

"That doesn't simply require good building design, but a deep understanding and curiosity about the inner workings of zoning, mobility, and a holistic approach to development."

To address these issues, SPA invited Eric Kronberg, of Kronberg Urbanists + Architects (KUA), to speak on Housing Choice and Economic Development (PDF of slide deck here), covering both the complex problems of urban housing and approaches to dealing with those problems. "Ultimately in America we see three desires. Everyone wants stable services, low density, and low taxes," Kronberg said. "But you can't have all three."

"Fundamentally, low density development patterns are bankrupting cities."

During the presentation, Kronberg guided the audience of planning, architecture, and building construction students through the history and statistics of American urban development from before the rise of automobile, leading to the challenges of attainable housing today.

Kronberg presented projects such as Finley Street Cottages in Atlanta to show the potential in smaller dwellings and lots. "We like to talk about strategies to infill with smaller lot size, accessory dwellings, and other components. For the exact same amount of land, you can be generating almost six times the revenue."

"World Town Planning Day reminds us of the vital importance of thoughtfulness in creating sustainable, inclusive communities while addressing the challenges that get in the way of doing so," Kozelas said.

Urban planners worldwide have been celebrating the day since 1949, and doing so has been a long tradition at the School of City and Regional Planning.

"We have been celebrating World Town Planning Day for decades at Georgia Tech, and it's a student-led event," said Gulsah Akar, chair of the School. "Our Student Planning Association students think about whom to bring to excite all the students in SCaRP and also other schools and faculty."