Build Up or Build Out?

This is just a small story about a small city, but I thought it was a pretty good look at perhaps the key issue in modern urbanism, especially in the West and the South, which is whether to build up or build out. Durango, Colorado is debating that issue now, with the traditional sprawl of western cities being challenged by people who realize that building up may make a lot more sense. There’s the potential to generate a lot more tax dollars by building up, not to mention creating a walkable downtown that is more environmentally friendly. But the Durango tax code combined with parking requirements that force a lot of land into parking lots makes this hard. This is a fundamental problem in cities around the nation, as the incentives promote car-centric sprawl.