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DENSE, DENSER, DENSER STILL

By Ruth Eckdish Knack, AICP

Perceptions can mislead when it comes to units per acre.

It's hard to believe that Los Angeles is one of the densest places in the U.S. But that's what USA Today reported last February after ranking the Census Bureau's metropolitan statistical areas according to the percentage of population living at densities of over 1,000 per square mile. L.A. came out on top, denser than New York, Chicago, or San Francisco.

Not what we'd expect, but little is clear-cut when it comes to density. "Density is an emotional thing masquerading as a scientific ratio," says California architect Alex Seidel. "In one environment, -10 units an acre might be perceived as really dense. Yet in another 50, or even 80 units, might be acceptable." Preconceived notions about what density looks like account for the difference, he suggests.

To convince people that density is not the bugaboo they thought it was, groups like California's Local Government Commission are taking an educational approach. The non-profit group, formed in the late '70s to deal with the problems that beset local governments, has developed a presentation to show its members and others how more compact, higher density development could help revitalize their communities.

According to LGC land-use and transportation director Paul Zykofsky, AICP, the need for such basic education became clear in the early '90s, following the release of a set of guidelines for sustainable communities called the Ahwahnee Principles. The guideline that raised hackles was the call for compact development.

"We started to hear back from our local government members," he says. "They feared that the idea would simply not sell in their communities." With a grant from the regional Environmental Protection Agency office, the commission began searching for ways to explain the benefits of higher density development. (LGC won an APA public education award in 1997.)



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