Kaid Benfield

61 Posts

Kaid Benfield is director for sustainable communities and smart growth at The Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC. He has his own blog on land development and community issues and enjoys contributing here, too, since there is so much common ground.
Equity

NatGeo Surveys Countries’ Transit Use: Guess Who Comes In Last

Americans are far less likely to use public transportation than residents of other countries, according to the National Geographic Society’s 2009 Greendex report. Only five percent of Americans surveyed report […]

Policy

Federal Stimulus Threatened to Overrun Small Town with Sprawl

The federal government has a history of subsidizing sprawl, wittingly or not. Even the Clean Water Act contains a mechanism that, according to my NRDC colleague Nancy Stoner, “continues to […]

Equity

Considering the Role of Density in Sustainable Development

Later this week, I am going to be participating with my friend David Dixon and marketing whiz Laurie Volk in a seminar on development density at the annual meeting of […]

Communities

My Favorite Revitalization Story: The Rebirth Of Old North

My view is that no other single category of activity is more important to sustainable development than revitalization. When done properly, it’s great for residents old and new, great for […]

Equity

Giving New Meaning to “Green” Transit

In the US, we tend to think of public transportation as inherently green, which of course it is compared to our addiction to driving. It becomes even more so when […]

Equity

When the Market Recovers, Smart Growth Will Claim a Larger Share

Even before the recession began, the market for residential and commercial property in the US was changing away from a model of unmitigated suburban sprawl and toward one of more […]

Housing

Strong Centers Make Healthier Regions

The signs continue to mount that the housing market continues to move in favor of central locations, and away from sprawl. It’s all a matter of degree, of course, but […]

Policy

It�s Time To Adjust To The Metropolitan Reality

One of the recurring themes of my writing (for example, here) has been that, to achieve sustainability in our cities, suburbs, and rural areas, we need to get beyond the […]

Equity

HUD & DOT Team Up To Promote Sustainable Communities

This is awesome. Here is an excerpt from yesterday’s joint press release from HUD and DOT: “WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and […]

Community Development Field

Giving Community Organizing A Good Name In East Hollywood

Through the combination of my insatiable curiosity and the wonders of the internet, I have stumbled upon a magic kingdom in Southern California. No, not that magic kingdom, but the […]

Equity

Sprawl’s share of US housing starts has declined dramatically, says EPA

A new report from the US Environmental Protection Agency documents a dramatic shift in the pattern of new development in the nation over the past two decades: Central cities and […]

Equity

Where We Live Affects How Much We Drive and What We Can Afford

The Urban Land Institute has produced a remarkable report that examines in depth how where we live affects how much we drive, and consequently how much we must spend on […]