Houston, we have a problem in high transportation expenditure

Houston area household expenditure housing and transportation

Houstonians spend average 30% on housing and more than 20% on transportation.

transportation fuel consumption inversely related to population density of cities

Houston, with low population density, spends several times more fuel for transportation compared to other cities. Original graph source here. Cities with higher population density also tend to have longer life expectancy, and probably one of the reasons is more walking.

40 people per acre would be a reasonable middle density for walkability and reduced transportation expenditure.

Population to support amenities

GDP per capita and average wage increase with city population

With larger population in a city, GDP per capita and average wage tend to increase while gasoline consumption per capita tends to decrease. Housing cost near city center will also increase. Source of data from here .

population needed to support variaty of restaurants

With larger populations, a higher variety of restaurants could be supported. Brand named restaurants typically have a set minimum population to serve an area. Based on this chart , a reasonable minimum of 10k population would be needed for variety of restauants. If a walkable community if defined as 250 acres, that would be about 40 persons per acre. Sufficient population is also needed to support a hospital, for example. Other amenities requiring population include libraries, museums, etc.

With higher population density, walking and public transportation become more feasible. This chart shows data from Norway, showing that percentage of people travel by walking and public transportation is proportional to population density. 40 persons per acre is a reasonable medium density.

population density vs public transit use

This chart shows data from Canada that public transit use is highest for population density about 40 persons per acre. There is no data for higher density.

For an area assuming 15% public streets and parks, average 2.5 persons per dwelling, average development would need 19 dwellings per acre to achieve 40 persons per acre average population density. With Houston's small lot size of 27 dwelling units per acre, 40 persons per acre could be easily achieved with single family homes.

Effective community sizes

Basic community unit, about 10 adults, equivalent to a squad in the army. Such community unit may be homes around a courtyard, a block, or neighbors with kids going to the same school or even classmates. People in a basic community unit could have frequent interactions and cooperations, possibly weekly gatherings like meal parties. If HOA is organized in this scale, it would be most effective.

A village, city block, or gated community, about 100 adults, equivalent to a company in the army. People in this scale may have interactions and cooperations, especially if so organized. HOA is often setup in this scale but lots of complaints about HOA is because this scale is usually too large for efficient and fair operation of an HOA. It would be better to have HOA in the basic community units and a joint HOA in this scale of the basic unit HOAs so that only large budget items affecting the larger commnity would be handled by the joint HOA.

A (walkable) neighborhood, about 10k people, equivalent to a division in the army. Amenities for the neighborhood would be handled at this scale, including transportation issues.

A city. US Census Bureau defines an urban area minimum 50k population. USDA rural loans are limited to area with maximum 50k population. Large population in cities provide efficiency that would not be feasible in rural areas. Smaller communities within 30 minutes or so travel to a city could benefit from the city with associated higher land prices compared to rural areas far from cities.

About half of US population prefer walkable neighborhoods while the other half prefer larger yard even if they need to drive to get anywhere. Currently very few walkable neighborhoods in the US and people are just starting to build more. Using Houston data as reference, living in a walkable neighborhood without needing to own a car would save the 20% car transportation from household expenditure.

Combination of building types to achieve 40 persons per acre

land use mix of building types including high rises

To achieve 40 persons per acre, this example plan for a walkable neighborhood mixture of land uses includes various building types:
16% 40 acres Public area
4% 10 acres Lake/pond area
14% 35 acres 1 ac single family lot
22% 55 acres 1/8 ac single family lot
20% 50 acres 1/27 ac single family lot
8% 20 acres Low rise multi-family
8% 20 acres Mid rise multi-family
8% 20 acres High rise multi-family

land use mix of building types limited to low rises

This example plan for a walkable neighborhood mixture of land uses is limited to low-rise building types:
16% 40 acres Public area
4% 10 acres Lake/pond area
6% 15 acres 1 ac single family lot
8% 20 acres 1/8 ac single family lot
40% 100 acres 1/27 ac single family lot
26% 65 acres Low rise multi-family

Fight loneliness

Feeling of loneliness is common among Americans, especially younger generations. Source of data from here . Activities in a community would help people guard against, or conquer, loneliness.
Surgeon General’s advisory : communities must design environments that promote connection, as lacking social connection increases risk of premature death by more than 60%.

Cooperations in communities

Crime prevention and reduction such as neighborhood watch.

Ride sharing, car sharing etc. 15 passenger van can be used with regular driver license if not commercial use.

Home based childcare.

Postnatal care.

Baby care.

Home care.

Children clothes & toys sharing.

Afterschool care.

Growing fruit and vegetable in the neighborhood, and landscape cooperative.

Community kitchen and meal share clubs (members share shopping, cooking, and meals).

Activity groups such as singing, dancing, jogging, games, shopping, excursion, etc.

Community wide yard sales.

Book reading sharing.

Mentoring for startup businesses.

Off campus university groups.

Home maintenance & remodel share club.

DIY and workshop share club (wood, metal, robotics, electronics, etc.)

School better be open when parents are working

67% of kids are in families where both parents are working. There is no reason that public schools are not designed for such families. When schools close at 3pm or whenever they decide to close for the day, as younger kids are not allowed to stay home alone, working parents have to spend time and money to cover those time windows. Therefore, for public schools where kids are not allowed to stay home alone, schools better be open when parents are in working hours.

AEC Green Development