Realtors discover that walkable places are preferred

A survey sponsored by Realtors illustrates that home buying is more like a prix fixe menu than ordering a la carte. Would you like the mixed-use neighborhood? That comes with a side order of access to culture and transit. Another choice is the large-lot house on a cul-de-sac. That comes with the longer commute and the drive-only traffic stew.

I'm sorry ma'am, substitutes are not allowed. And sir, we are running short on the mixed-use neighborhood tonight. 

Joseph Molinaro of the National Association of Realtors explains the organization’s consumer preference survey in this .

The survey results are conflicted at times — reflecting Americans’ attitudes toward houses and communities. Homebuyers prefer single-family houses by a wide margin, Molinaro explains:

“Unsurprisingly, an overwhelming majority (76%) of Americans in the survey say they would prefer to live in a single-family detached house — 52% preferring a house with a large yard and 24% preferring a house with a small yard.”

But the survey also reveals that “Most Americans now want to live in a walkable neighborhood where they can walk to shops and restaurants and parks, and many are willing to give up a large yard to do so. There is also a strong interest in having access to public transportation,” he writes.

“When asked to choose between a neighborhood that ‘has a mix of houses and stores and other businesses that are easy to walk to” versus a neighborhood that “has houses only and you have to drive to stores and other businesses,’ the walkable neighborhood was preferred 60 percent to 35 percent.”

Most importantly for real estate sales, that preference is strongest among younger buyers and those who are in the market now.

According to Molinaro:

• What is most revealing as an indicator of the current state of the real estate market is that the walkable community was preferred by recent movers (those who moved in the past three years) by 20 points (58% to 38%); and for those who plan to move in the next three years, the walkable neighborhood was preferred by an 18 point margin (57% to 39%).

• Younger Americans expressed as a high priority providing transportation alternatives (walking, biking, and public transportation) by a margin of 13 percent points more than older Americans. Younger Americans also rated as a high priority revitalizing cities — by a margin of 10 points more than older Americans.

What is lacking

Americans sense that characteristics of compact, mixed-use places are lacking in many communities. “The number one feature that people said there was too little of was ‘Safe routes for riding bikes to work and shopping,’ ” Molinaro writes. “The other top answers for what there was too little of in their neighborhoods was ‘Public transportation within an easy walk;’ ‘Housing for people with low incomes;’ and ‘Shops or restaurants within an easy walk of your home.’ ”

Americans are split in preference for the walkable community on the left and the conventional suburb on the right, according to a graph from the survey. The slight edge goes to the walkable urban place, Community B.

The supply problem

But America is not evenly split into walkable and drive-only places. Supplies are much higher for Community A, conventional suburban.

One possible explanation for that is Realtors have been selling the conventional suburban product for generations. But Realtors don’t determine the form of the built environment. They just sell the product that others provide.

And, land use regulations and policies for the last seven decades have prevented new walkable neighborhoods from being built. Meanwhile, many older neighborhoods have deteriorated or been demolished.

The gap, according to researcher Arthur C. Nelson of the University of Utah, is already large and will grow well into the eight figures. The demand for walkable Community B is rising, while demand for conventional Community A is falling, both due to demographic trends. Because of entrenched zoning, we keep adding conventional suburban supply.

Realtors have an interest in ensuring that the housing supply meets the desires of Americans. Now that markets have shifted, Realtors are potentially influential supporters for urban place.

Urbanists would be wise to show Realtors how policies can allow more urban places to be built to meet the unfulfilled desires of Americans. Realtors could team up with urbanists and other supporters of urban place — such as downtown business owners, and bicycle-pedestrian and healthy community advocates — to support reforms necessary to make change happen.

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