U. of U. Study: The First Palpable Utah Evidence of a Market-driven Transit Oriented Development Trend?

Initial data provide some tentative support for the proposition that "New Urbanism" is already happening in Utah

Fascinating story in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune: "Gas prices, economic worries spur growth in urban residential permits." Tribune reporter Derrick P. Jensen supplies the basic info in his opening 'graphs:

Planners predicted it, but not this way - not this fast. Yet new urbanism - punctuated by a rush on downtown Salt Lake City - is sweeping a swath of northern Utah, a place long defined by suburban flight.
A new report reveals residential building permits in the south-valley boomtowns plunged 80 percent since last year. By contrast, the capital saw permits skyrocket to 194 this year from 13 in the first quarter of 2007.
Industry insiders say surging gasoline prices, a sagging economy and energy-policy uncertainty due to the presidential chase have combined to create the latest condo spurt. And it's no coincidence the new league of lofts are located near TRAX light-rail lines.
People are more interested in moving into the city center rather than moving to the suburbs," said Jeff Hatch, Salt Lake County's auditor, who still is chewing on the economics of the sudden shift. "We'll see some smart growth happening because people are concerned about their pocketbook."

The subject University of Utah study reveals a drastic drop in building permits in unincorporated Salt Lake County, quarter to quarter from the year 2007 to 2008. The resulting loss in loss of building permit revenues could spell troubling consequences for suburban Utah towns, which may be forced to respond with commensurately drastic property tax hikes. This of course would represent yet another economic factor which could spur the flight of residents of the suburbs to Utah urban centers.

And as hinted in the paragraphs above, these most recently observed trends have interesting "transit oriented development" implications:

Open-plan lofts and energy-efficient condos are sprouting along the TRAX spine
on the fringe of downtown. There is the funky Angelina's Corner on the curve of
700 South and 200 West and ultra-green Rowhaus just north of the baseball park
on West Temple, and there are hundreds of units planned at Market Station, a
walkable development slated for the warehouse district in South Salt Lake.

Although James Wood, director of the U of U's research bureau, himself cautions that the weight of evidence from this latest study is insufficient to label "new urbanism" a general trend, we'll suggest that it's common knowledge that we live in the Post-peak Oil Era. The days of pumping cheap oil from the ground are thus plainly numbered.

And "they" ain't making any more crude... which means no more cheap petro-fuel... unless Professor Peabody finally perfects his "Wayback Machine." Cheap fossil fuel, of course, is the factor which "fueled" urban sprawl in the first place.

Don't let the cat get your tongues.