Community Design
Community design focuses on the building blocks of the built environment — the buildings, roads, sidewalks, parking lots and public spaces – and relates them to each other and the natural environment: the streams, wetlands, lakes and hills.
There are many different ways of arranging these building blocks, and the quality of the design affects both how communities look and how they function. Community design also determines the scale and character of communities and, perhaps most important, how the scale and character are experienced by the public. At a time of heightened public sensitivity over issues affecting land development, such as density, good community design plays an increasingly important role in shaping places that are embraced as welcome additions to towns.
The latest Monmouth Poll Garden State Quality of Life Index shows continuing and growing dissatisfaction among young adults. Census data offer some insights into why.
Analysis of county-to-county migration data shows New Jersey’s out-migrating Millennials are drawn to walkable, mixed-use, transit-accessible population centers. Out-migrants of older generations, by contrast, are more drawn to the outlying parts of metropolitan areas.
New Jersey Future submitted comments on proposed changes to the NJDEP’s stormwater management rules, praising the emphasis on green infrastructure and offering recommendations for making the rule clearer and more effective.
Smart Growth America’s new report on pedestrian fatalities shows New Jersey isn’t the most dangerous place to walk, but there is still work to do to make it safer.
The proposed new stormwater rule makes green infrastructure the priority for stormwater management, rather than an afterthought.
How can New Jersey turn this urban water infrastructure crisis into an opportunity for long-term prosperity. August 2014.
This report and related case studies summarize the state of urban water infrastructure in New Jersey and how it affects residents and businesses. May 2014.
Strong Towns’ Chuck Marohn will visit Hackensack April 13, 2016, to deliver a presentation on ways to invest for community resiliency and prosperity.
This report and related case studies summarize the state of urban water infrastructure in New Jersey and how it affects residents and businesses. May 2014.
In this report, New Jersey Future analyzed housing affordability in each New Jersey municipality, to see where households headed by someone 65 or older have high housing costs. The places where housing cost burden is greatest fall into two groups: towns that are expensive for everyone, and towns that are dominated by larger, single-family housing stock. December 2015.
See all Future Facts and Articles in this category »
Reports, Presentations and Testimony
- 03/07/2019: Testimony on S1742, S1768 and S1774
- New Jersey Future Aging-Friendly Communities Initiative report Ridgewood 8-3-18
- New Jersey Future Aging-Friendly Communities Initiative report Westwood 7-16-18
- New Jersey Future Aging-Friendly Communities Initiative report Teaneck 2-5-19
- New Jersey Future Aging-Friendly Communities Initiative report Somerdale 1-31-19
- 01/08/2019: Testimony on Stormwater Rule Proposal
- Trenton Transit Center Strategic Action Blueprint July 2018
- New Jersey Future Non-Contiguous Cluster Report August 2017
- APA Conference Places To Age Best Practices
- New Jersey Future Resilient Coastal Communities Project Report Appendix 6
- New Jersey Future Resilient Coastal Communities Project Report Appendix 4
- New Jersey Future Resilient Coastal Communities Project Report Appendix 3 Figures
- New Jersey Future Resilient Coastal Communities Project Report 2017
- New Jersey Future Demographic Trends by Age September 2017
- New-Jersey-Future-Assessment-of-the-NJLIHTC-program
- Strategic Recovery Planning Report Maurice River 05-2015
- Strategic Recovery Planning Report Commercial 12-2015
- League of Municipalities Article on Aging in Community April 2016
- New Jersey Future Housing Affordability and Aging-Friendly Communities
- Housing Affordability and Aging-Friendly Communities Housing Cost-Burden Municipal Data by Municipality
- Housing Affordability and Aging-Friendly Communities Housing Cost-Burden Municipal Data by Cost Burden Rank
- fiscal-implications-roads-in-new-jersey
- NJFuture-In-Deep-10-15-WEB
- 08/31/2015: Hudson River RBD Project COP Comments
- 2014-11-18_Trenton Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study.compressed
- Trenton_Meeting_Summary_FINAL
- 08/01/2014: Rule Proposal: DEP Docket No. 03-14-04
- Creating Great Places To Age in New Jersey
- Creating Places To Age in New Jersey Municipal Best Practices
- 02/03/2014: Statement on CDBG-DR Funds
- Creating Places To Age in New Jersey municipal data
- Creating Places To Age Bergen-Passaic Supplement
- 04/29/2013: Sandy Recovery Action Plan Doesn't Commit to Resiliency Planning, Sustainability
- 04/25/2013: A3680 Economic Opportunity Act
- 03/11/2013: Focus Economic Investments Strategically and Avoid Subsidizing Sprawl
- How Clustering Works
- Clustering-Factsheet_11_5_2013
- Cluster-Development-Act-summary-of-key-provisions-10-13
- 05-2009 Smart Housing Incentives Act - Summary
- Cluster-Development-Bill-Overview-11-12
- 03/31/2011: Letter Supporting Vertical GDP Bill after Conditional Veto
- 04/02/2012: NJFuture Comments to State Planning Commission on Draft State Strategic Plan
- Land Use Trends NJPHA 2011
- Financial Benefits of Density in Two New Jersey Downtowns 7-11 (Intern report)
- DFatton Land Use Trends APA-NJ 11-4-2011
- complete-streets-report-FINAL-web
- 05/18/2009: Testimony on Smart Housing Incentives Act
- 12/14/2010: Testimony on Historic Property Reinvestment Act
- Smart Growth: The Basics 10-03
- Climate Change and Land Use 10-08
