Bases Focus On Smarter Growth

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Bases Focus On Smarter Growth

By Haya El Nasser - USA TODAY
Posted : Sunday Dec 28, 2008 8:49:28 EST

Most military bases developed much the same as the suburbs outside their gates: They sprawled.

On military installations the size of small cities, homes are clustered on cul-de-sacs at one end, offices at another, stores somewhere else. The lack of sidewalks along their main roads signals that main streets are designed for cars — not pedestrians. Even those who live, work and shop on base have to drive from one point to another.

Now the military is rewriting the rules and embracing all things “green” and “sustainable.” All branches are beginning to rethink the way they build and design their bases — significant because the military manages 30 million acres of U.S. lands.

The largest bases are adopting concepts favored by many towns: compact, energy-efficient development that encourages walking, fosters a sense of community and eats up less space.

“They’re creating great places where you would have housing right next to the grocery store, housing close to where the soldiers work,” says Jerry Zekert, chief master planner for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which provides planning support to the Army and other armed services. “The Army is just like America.”

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