Weekend Reading: On density and transit-oriented development
Two recent New York Times stories discuss trends that are affecting downtown development in Oak Park.
The first article reports that urban densification is not really a national trend, but is actually occurring mainly in America’s most dense cities, like Chicago, rather than in those that historically have been less dense and more sprawling. Of the 51 metro areas in the U.S. with more than one million people, average neighborhood density rose in only 10 and fell in 41 between 2010 and 2016. Chicago had the second highest increase in density.
As our region becomes more dense (it’s actually re-densifying), Oak Park is in a prime position to be the beneficiary or bare the brunt, depending on your perspective. I think having more people is a good thing, particularly younger adults who can “try out” Oak Park prior to having children and can start to put down roots here, and also older empty nesters who have put down roots and can stay in Oak Park without the hassle and tax burden of owning a house.
The second is about how new rail stops spur transit-oriented development. It mentions the impact on the West Loop of the opening of the Morgan Street stop on the Green Line. (Have you been there? It’s definitely got stuff going on.) We’ve had rail stops in Oak Park for more than a century but not much modern transit-oriented development until recently.
But with densification and more people who prefer to walk to do things and to take the train to the city and not to own cars, transit-oriented development makes a lot of sense for Oak Park.
From the article: “Putting a commercial development near a rail station also reduces the need to build parking, which can be costly. And even millennials who do not use the train may not require a parking space; many are indifferent toward car ownership, particularly given the rise of taxi and car service technologies like Uber and Zipcar.”
The payoff is a vibrant downtown, which is a great amenity for the entire Village.
