Is there a link between race, class and an insistence on urban sprawl in the US? Historically, probably yes. Today, some African American advocates imply that continuing sprawl is required for African Americans to catch up on home ownership rates. I question whether this would actually be best for equalizing the economic playing field.

The National Urban League, an organization dedicated to empowering economic development for African Americans, is concerned about “Smart Growth” policies in many US cities. They worry that the result of restricting sprawl will be higher house prices, which will push home ownership beyond the reach of many African Americans.

If “Smart Growth” means simply reducing the amount of land available and only allowing single family housing on 1/2 acre lots to be built — then yes, they would be right. And, this would be a tragedy for anyone of any ethnic background trying to establish themselves financially through real estate ownership.

Indeed, some cities and suburbs (notably the Washington DC and Boston area) are not introducing new types of housing to coincide with smart growth, according to this article.

Yet, “Smart Growth” need not be so restrictive. If it coincides with introducing a wider variety of housing options, then it could generate more opportunities for home ownership to people with lower incomes (of all races). For example, duplexes, town-homes, and mid-rise condominiums can all ofter less expensive ownership options. They also put more people into a smaller space which makes transit more efficient (which could mean giving up one family car to own a home would not be a hardship). Adding more homes further from jobs makes automobile ownership a requirement — and this is becoming every more costly in terms of purchase price and gasoline costs, taking income away from being used toward housing affordability and life enjoyment.

However, adopting and embracing a multi-faceted, plurality of housing as part of Smart Growth will require a cultural shift in many US cities — by everyone, black, white and all colors of the rainbow.  Update: There was an interesting discussion on anti-townhome biases at Houston Strategies last month.

Currently, often the “life game” is to be able to afford a 4000 square foot home in the suburbs, as a status symbol. And more whites than blacks can afford this. Thus race and class and sprawl are interlinked — and this is probably one less spoken reason why it’s proving more difficult to bring about a changed mindset in US urban areas than other world cities.

Hmmm… would a shift toward embracing smarter housing not only help the environment, but also perhaps the race climate in the US?