AARP Eye Center
Planning refers to how policymakers design, regulate, and manage the built environment. Land-use, zoning, and developer requirements and incentives help planners guide development patterns. This then influences other outcomes. Good planning helps community members age in place, live healthy lives, and contribute to environmental sustainability.
Planners can use developer requirements or incentives to promote the creation of livable communities (see also this chapter’s discussion on Creating Livable and Sustainable Communities). Such conditions can, for instance, increase affordable housing in new developments. Doing so allows people from a broader range of income levels to benefit from a community’s employment opportunities, education, and amenities. One example of this is inclusionary zoning, which requires developers of market-rate housing also to include housing affordable to people with low and moderate incomes.
In some cases, communities allow developers to pay fees in lieu of building affordable housing units on-site. These fees can then be used to build affordable housing elsewhere. Some argue that this can sometimes allow more units to be built because the cost of building housing off-site is lower. However, if fees are too low, developers pay less than they would on-site. In addition, the housing may not be in the same community as the market-rate development. This can reduce housing options in desirable neighborhoods, which limits choices for residents who need lower-cost options. It also perpetuates segregation by income, ability level, race, ethnicity, and other factors.
Planners can create age-friendly communities that consider the needs of people at all life stages. These communities are well-designed and livable. They promote health and sustain economic growth for residents of all ages and ability levels. Conversely, poor planning can negatively affect residents. For example, it can limit a person’s transportation options to a personal vehicle. This is especially problematic for those who cannot afford a vehicle or who no longer drive. Poor planning can also limit housing options. It also can decrease access to vital amenities and services such as jobs, health care, and supermarkets.
Land-use patterns, housing, and transportation systems influence public health and environmental quality. Failure to adequately plan land use and infrastructure can mean that residents must spend hours traveling long distances. Long commutes, in turn, result in less access to high-quality jobs and workers. They also reduce time for leisure, family, and civic activities. People who must drive long distances for work, food, or health care can suffer the health consequences of being more sedentary or isolated. These consequences can include depression, dementia, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. And the financial cost of long commutes can effectively add to the cost of housing.
For the most part, planning has not traditionally included an evaluation of the full spectrum of health implications related to planning alternatives. But this is beginning to change. Public health practitioners have begun to work collaboratively with planners to use a health impact assessment (HIA). HIA translates data into practical information decisionmakers can use to anticipate and address the health effects of proposed programs, policies, or projects. By integrating relevant health information into their assessment of a new proposal, decisionmakers can advance well-informed policies that avoid unintended consequences and unexpected costs.
Health in All policies are another tool to improve population health. They embed health considerations into collaborative decisionmaking processes across a broad array of sectors, such as transportation and economic development. The goal is to ensure that policymakers understand the health, equity, and sustainability consequences of their policy options and decisions.
Parking is an essential issue in planning. Many municipalities require two parking spaces for each housing unit, even in dense urban areas with ample alternatives to driving. The cost of building this parking is then bundled into rents and housing costs, and higher prices in stores. There is also an important opportunity cost. The land used for parking cannot be used for other purposes, such as building more housing, businesses, bike lanes, and community centers.
Moreover, parking requirements can make it infeasible to develop smaller, more compact housing that could increase supply and contribute to lower housing costs. It is critical that communities provide enough parking to meet the needs of residents. And it is vital for people with disabilities who may rely on a car to get around. But providing too much parking can be harmful as well.
Planners can use various techniques to reduce the number of parking spots. In addition to reducing or eliminating parking requirements, they can consider the following measures to reduce the number of spots:
Unbundled parking allows housing units and parking spots to be sold or rented separately.
Shared parking designates spaces that can be shared among different people rather than used individually. Shared public parking is more efficient than single-use private parking because fewer spaces are needed to meet the total peak parking demand in the vicinity.
Parking benefit districts allow people to pay the market price for parking with the revenue reinvested into the community where the spaces are located.
When selling a townhouse, a condo, or another living unit, a developer can be permitted to rent or sell parking spaces separately. This arrangement often reduces the number of cars a homeowner chooses to own and store.