Realtors Survey on Smart Growth

The National Association of Realtors has released a press release on their survey regarding home buyer preferences.

Walkable communities are defined as those where shops, restaurants, and local businesses are within walking distance from homes. According to the survey, when considering a home purchase, 77 percent of respondents said they would look for neighborhoods with abundant sidewalks and other pedestrian-friendly features, and 50 percent would like to see improvements to existing public transportation rather than initiatives to build new roads and developments.

The survey also revealed that while space is important to home buyers, many are willing to sacrifice square footage for less driving. Eighty percent of those surveyed would prefer to live in a single-family, detached home as long as it didn't require a longer commute, but nearly three out of five of those surveyed -- 59 percent -- would choose a smaller home if it meant a commute time of 20 minutes or less.

The survey also found that community characteristics are very important to most people. When considering a home purchase, 88 percent of respondents placed more value on the quality of the neighborhood than the size of the home, and 77 percent of those surveyed want communities with high-quality schools.

While the study shows that people do prefer detached single-family homes on larger lots, that preference can be tempered by other factors such as community amenities, although age and party can have an impact.

• Younger people who are unmarried tend to prefer the convenience of smart growth, walkable communities. Subdivision-type communities appeal more to middle-aged, married couples. 
• Political views are predictive of what type of communities Americans prefer. Democrats and liberals tend to prefer smart growth-type communities, while Republicans and conservatives are more likely to favor sprawl-type communities.

The problem with having larger detached single-family homes on larger lots is that by their nature, everything is forced to be further away.  Sure, you can try to design clusters around community amenities, but it's much more difficult.  Ideally, you'd have a mix of home designs and sizes so that any given community or neighborhood will have multiple options, and that might allow you to have more of a walkable neighborhood than you might otherwise have.