Boomburb “Buildout”

Abstract

Many “boomburbs”—large, fast-growing suburbs—are nearing their “buildout,” the point at which development has reached a city’s borders or has exhausted large-scale greenfield options. Boomburbs will soon face a decision: Do they stop booming once they reach their current limits or develop a new growth model that more intensively uses existing land? Or will they annex more space for continuing greenfield development? The authors surveyed 140 boomburb governments about their buildout plans. The respondents provided information on several variables, including future density, the amount of space left to build on, and the mixture of land uses that will fill this space. The answers varied widely, with some places looking to become far more urbanized, while others rush to build even lower-density development. Yet most boomburbs expect to grow denser as they build out. The article concludes with a discussion on two policy implications of buildout: annexation and governance.