Metropolitan Research Center

Who We Are

The Metropolitan Research Center has assembled some of the nation’s top talent in smart growth including:

Arthur C. Nelson, Ph.D., FAICP
Presidential Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning

Nan Ellin, Ph.D.
Director and Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning

Reid Ewing, Ph.D.
Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning

Keith Bartholomew, JD
Associate Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning, University Professor for Teaching

Brenda Case Scheer, AICP, AIA, NCARB
Dean and Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning

Collectively, these five principals have published more than 30 books; written more than 500 other scholarly and professional works; won more than $10 million in grants and contracts; and delivered over 1,000 invited lectures in the US and abroad. Individually or collectively, they were the first to describe what “best development practices” really mean to planners; were the first to demonstrate the differences between smart growth and “business as usual”; pioneered scenario planning that laid the foundation for the regional visioning movement; shaped the field of impact fees; demonstrated the relationship between urban development and climate change; wrote the APA’s leading textbook on growth management; literally wrote the books on US-style urban containment; wrote “the urban design text of our time,” elevated our understanding of social equity in the context of transportation; demonstrated what is really meant by pedestrian-friendly urban design; devised and applied a methodology to estimate when nonresidential land may be ripe for redevelopment; synthesized lessons from scenario planning to advance regional “visioning” nationally; calibrated development impact fees to recognize infrastructure savings associated with infill and redevelopment; and more.

Since 2007, they have authored these books:

Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change
Research sponsored and published as a book by the Urban Land Institute

By Reid Ewing, Keith Bartholomew, Steve Winkelman, Jerry Walters, and Don Chen

Meeting the growing demand for conveniently located homes in walkable neighborhoods could significantly reduce the growth in the number of miles Americans drive, shrinking the nation’s carbon footprint while giving people more housing choices, according to a team of leading urban planning researchers. In a comprehensive review of dozens of studies, published by the Urban Land Institute, the researchers conclude that urban development is both a key contributor to climate change and an essential factor in combating it.

Depending on several factors, from mix of land uses to pedestrian-friendly design, compact development reduces driving from 20 to 40 percent, and more in some instances, according to the book Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. Typically, Americans living in compact urban neighborhoods where cars are not the only transportation option drive a third fewer miles than those in automobile-oriented suburbs, the researchers found.

At the same time, the book documents market research showing a majority of future housing demand lies in smaller homes and lots, townhouses, and condominiums in neighborhoods where jobs and activities are close at hand. The researchers note that demographic changes, shrinking households, rising gas prices, lengthening commutes and cultural shifts all play a role in that demand.

The findings show that people who move into compact “green neighborhoods” are making as big a contribution to fighting global warming as those who buy the most efficient hybrid vehicles, but remain in car-dependent areas.

While demand for such smart-growth development is growing, government regulations, government spending, and transportation policies still favor sprawling, automobile-dependent development. The book recommends changes in all three areas to make green neighborhoods more available and more affordable. It also calls for including smart-growth strategies as a fundamental tenet in upcoming climate change legislation.

The study represents a collaboration among leading urban planning researchers, including Reid Ewing at the University of Utah, Steve Winkelman of the Center for Clean Air Policy, Keith Bartholomew of the University of Utah, and Jerry Walters of Fehr & Peers Associates. Smart Growth America coordinated the multi-disciplinary team that developed the recommended policy actions and is leading a broad coalition to develop those strategies further. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Hewlett Foundation provided funding for the underlying research.

Environmental Regulations and Housing Costs
Research sponsored by HUD
Book published by Island Press

By Arthur C. Nelson, John Randolph, Joseph M. Schilling, Jonathan Logan, James M. McElfish, Jr. and Newport Partners, LLC

Many communities across the nation still lack affordable housing. And many officials continue to claim that “affordable housing” is an oxymoron. Building inexpensively is impossible, they say, because there are too many regulations. Required environmental impact statements and habitat protection laws, they contend, drive up the costs of construction. But is this actually true? In a comprehensive study of the question, the authors of this eye-opening book separate fact from myth. With admirable clarity, they describe the policy debate from its beginning, review the economic theory, trace the evolution of development regulation, and summarize the major research on the topic. In addition, they offer their own research, accompanied by a case study of two strikingly different Washington, D.C., suburbs. They also include results of focus groups conducted in Dallas, Denver, and Tucson. The authors find that environmental regulatory costs—as a share of total costs and processes—are about the same now as they were thirty years ago, even though there are far more regulations today. They find, too, that environmental regulations may actually create benefits that could improve the value of housing. Although they conclude that regulations do not appear to drive up housing costs more now than in the past, they do offer recommendations of ways in which the processes associated with regulations—including review procedures—could be improved and could result in cost savings. Intended primarily for professionals who are involved in, or impacted by, regulations—from public officials, planners, and engineers to housing developers and community activists—this book will provide useful insights and data to anyone who wants to know if (and how) American housing can actually be made “affordable.”

Integral Urbanism
Book published by Routledge

By Nan Ellin

Integral Urbanism is an ambitious and forward-looking theory of urbanism intended for planners and architects looking for new models to improve the quality of urban life. The model that Ellin proposes stands as an antidote to the problems engendered by modern and postmodern urban planning and architecture: sprawl, anomie, a pervasive culture (and architecture) of fear in cities, and a disregard for environmental issues.

Moving away from the escapist and reactive tendencies of modern and postmodern planning, Ellin champions an "integral" approach, arguing that we should work towards the re-integration of urban milieus that planners and architects typically conceive of as being separate from each other. Hers is a fundamentally ecological approach, looking at places as parts of larger settings and environments.

In designing cities, planners and architects need to consider what surrounds the site in order to see that the barriers between spaces are, in reality, porous. Then we can re-conceptualize how we design urban space, integrating seemingly incongruous small sites as well as larger regions.

Impact Fees and Housing Affordability
Research sponsored by HUD
Book published by Island Press

By Arthur C. Nelson, Liza K. Bowles, Julian C. Juergensmeyer, and Jame C. Nicholas

Impact fees are one-time charges that are applied to new residential developments by local governments that are seeking funds to pay for the construction or expansion of public facilities, such as water and sewer systems, schools, libraries, and parks and recreation facilities. In the face of taxpayer revolts against increases in property taxes, impact fees are used increasingly by local governments throughout the U.S. to finance construction or improvement of their infrastructure. Recent estimates suggest that 60 percent of all American cities with over 25,000 residents use some form of impact fees. In California, it is estimated that 90 percent of such cities impose impact fees.

For more than thirty years, impact fees have been calculated based on proportionate share of the cost of the infrastructure improvements that are to be funded by the fees. However, neither laws nor courts have ensured that fees charged to new homes are themselves proportionate. For example, the impact fee may be the same for every home in a new development, even when homes vary widely in size and selling price. Data show, however, that smaller and less costly homes have fewer people living in them and thus less impact on facilities than larger homes. This use of a flat impact fee for all residential units disproportionately affects lower-income residents.

The purpose of the research and subsequent book is to help practitioners design impact fees that are equitable. It demonstrates exactly how a fair impact fee program can be designed and implemented. In addition, it includes information on the history of impact fees, discusses alternatives to impact fees, and summarizes state legislation that can influence the design of local fee programs. Case studies provide useful illustrations of successful programs.

The New Politics of Planning: How States and Local Governments are coming to Common Ground on Reshaping America’s Built Environment
Research sponsored by the Urban Land Institute
Published by the Urban Land Institute

By Arthur C. Nelson and Robert E. Lang

With population expected to increase over the next 15 years, states recognize that how they manage growth and development will affect economic prospects, attractiveness to migrants, and quality of life for residents. To provide the necessary housing, offices, and stores, and do so without the negative development impacts of the past, states are addressing key related issues such as sustainability, infrastructure, transportation, and density in ways that transcend politics as usual, and old battles over NIMBYism.

This book chronicles land use controls used in the past generation, and then describes recent trends that show how states are changing their perspective. It provides the facts on state planning and environmental efforts both in the past and now; voter willingness to raise taxes for transit, open-space, and related smart growth initiatives; increasing protections by states for private property rights; the increase and impact of land trusts that restrict land development; and the rise in special districts and private governance Case studies of six states, representing diverse political cultures, locations and degrees of progressiveness are analyzed regarding how they have dealt with issues such as public facilities, transportation, open spaces, affordable housing, and economic development.

U.S. Traffic Calming Manual
Published jointly by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Planning Association

By Reid Ewing and Steven J. Brown

Building upon the body of knowledge developed by the authors over the last 10 years, this single-source reference presents a "how to" process for the successful implementation of a traffic-calming program.

More than any previous manual, this book provides practical guidance on establishing an effective program, deciding which traffic-calming device to choose for a given problem, and properly designing a selected device to achieve a desired outcome. Numerous case studies from across the country suggest the most effective measures in various circumstances, and hundreds of photos illustrate specific traffic-calming treatments.

The Evolution of Urban Form: Typology for Planners and Architects
Published by the American Planning Association

By Brenda Case Scheer

Why are so many of our urban environments so resistant to change? Brenda Case Scheer tackles this question in her comprehensive guide for planners, designers, and students concerned with how cities take shape. This book provides a fundamental understanding of how physical environments are created, changed, and transformed through ordinary processes over time. Most of the built environment adheres to a few physical patterns, or types, that occur over and over. Planners and architects, consciously and unconsciously, refer to building types as they work through urban design problems and regulations. Suitable for professional planners, architects, urban designers, and students, The Evolution of Urban Form includes practical examples of how typology is critical to analytical, design, and regulatory situations.

Forthcoming books include (titles subject to change):
Pedestrian- and Transit-Oriented Design
Research sponsored by the Urban Land Institute
Published jointly by the Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association
by Reid Ewing

ReShaping America
Supported by numerous organizations
Published by the American Planning Association
by Arthur C. Nelson

Restorative Urbanism: From Sustainability to Prosperity
Published by Routledge
by Nan Ellin

Urban Design for a Suburban Age
Published by the American Planning Association

Who We Are

LATEST PUBLICATIONS