Building up rather than out

With all the controversy over the Parkside Condos here in Asheville on a piece of property next to Pack Square in downtown Asheville, I thought this article in the Wall Street Journal this week was interesting. The article describes how Sacramento, California has been building more densely, instead of sprawling out for many years. This is even more important with gas over $4 a gallon- and only going higher. Sacramento is being watched very closely and seen as a model for other towns.

'For decades, backers of "smart-growth" planning principles have preached the benefit of clustering the places where people live more closely with the businesses where they work and shop. Less travel would mean less fuel consumption and less air pollution.'

... full article here

Obviously, the Parkside Condo project in Asheville has it's own polarizing issues (is it public or private land) and I'm not weighing in on 'good or bad' for that project here. I just thought it was an interesting segway into the discussion of building up rather than out and this very interesting article from the Wall Street Journal this week.

Make sure to check out the interactive map in the article!