Infill and Reinvestment

Definition: Includes well planned growth, the management of sprawl, and development in the city's core, rather than on the periphery

• "Encourage a higher concentration of people into the center of town where there are still vacant lots and spare the desert environment on the outskirts of town."
• "Push infill and discourage urban sprawl."
• "Control growth and development in desert areas."
• "Continue to restore and rebuild older sections of Tucson."
• "Constantly building on the periphery strains all sorts of services - transportation, pollution, delivery of water, services, parks, etc. - infill!"

• Historic Preservation – writing and administering grants for exterior repairs to historic homes, providing information on historic home repair, assisting with achieving National Register listing, and developing policies which protect urban cultural resources
• Special Projects – administering the Midtown Green Retrofit pilot project, which helps to revitalize older neighborhoods with public improvements that are matched with private investments in home repairs
• Planning – providing security for property owners to reinvest in the city through area and neighborhood plans and encouraging sustainable infill development that preserves existing neighborhoods through the Comprehensive Plan
• Community Services – utilizing vacant, city-owned land for development of affordable housing and repairing older houses to improve existing neighborhoods

1. Ratio of City building permits to total regional building permits The amount of new construction, both residential and commercial in the central city indicates the degree to which infill is occurring. When we compare this to total building permits, we can see how this compares to building on the periphery of the community. Data can be obtained from Development Services Departments of the City and County.

The total for all of Pima County for 1998 was 6,920. The City of Tucson had a total of 2,667 (38.5%) and the unincorporated area had a total of 2,284 (33%). This resulted in a ratio of about 1.1 permits for the City to every 1 permit for the unincorporated Pima County.

Source: City of Tucson Development Services Department

2. Dollars invested in restoring and renovating inner-city buildings Efforts to enhance older building and homes in the City reflect the degree to which infill is occurring.

Data obtained from Development Services indicate that $83,554,733 was spent for renovations in the City of Tucson in 1998.

Source: City of Tucson Development Services Department, Permit System

3. Ratio of protected natural desert to total developed land The ratio of open to developed land measures the balance between the urban and the natural environment. It tells how well we are preserving the desert as we continue to grow. Aerial photographs and computer-aided mapping can provide this information.

Staff is researching the best way to collect and report the data for this Indicator.

4. Percentage of residences located within half a mile of a market Sprawl often means that people have to drive greater distances to do their daily shopping. Having markets within a ten minute (half-mile) walk decreases driving. As infill increases, we would expect this number to increase. Aerial maps and computer-aided mapping can be used to measure this indicator.

Preliminary analysis reveals that about 38% of households are located within half a mile of a grocery store.

Source: Arizona International College analysis using Geographic Information Systems

What YOU can do:

• Live close to the center of town
• Enjoy the culture and activities within city limits
• Respect desert habitat and wildlife
• Support the preservation of valuable habitat and wildlife corridors
• Make improvements to your house
• Learn about Tucson’s historic districts