Messing up less new land for new housing

This is another one of those it's better late than never things.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came out with a new report looking at residential building trends in America’s metropolitan areas. They  found that nearly 75% of large metropolitan regions had an increase in new housing development on land that was previously developed. This report compares the time periods of 2000-2004 to 2005 t0 2009.

This is good news. This type of development saves resources and open space since the infrastructure like water, sewer, rads and the like are already there. In other words, we're not taking an area that is still in its natural state and messing it up. The government has a name for this kind of development; it's called infill housing.

 Among 51 large metropolitan regions examined in this study, 36 saw an increased share of infill housing development during 2005-2009 compared to 2000-2004. For example, eight out of ten new homes in San Jose, Calif. were infill. New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco all saw a majority of new home construction in previously developed areas during the same time period.

If you'd like more info. on the report, prior studies, and a map showing regional trends check out this link: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/construction_trends.htm