Infill in its broadest meaning is material that fills in an otherwise unoccupied space. The term is commonly used in association with construction techniques such as wattle and daub, and civil engineering activities such as land reclamation.

Urban infill

In the urban planning and development industries, infill is the use of land within a built-up area for further construction, especially as part of a community redevelopment or growth management program or as part of smart growth. It focuses on the reuse and repositioning of obsolete or underutilized buildings and sites. This type of development is essential to renewing blighted neighborhoods and knitting them back together with more prosperous communities.

Suburban infill

Suburban infill describes the development of land in existing suburban areas that was left vacant during the development of the suburb. It is one of the tenets of the New Urbanism and smart growth trends of urging densification to reduce the need for automobiles, encourage walking, and ultimately save energy. One exception to this is the practice of urban agriculture, in which land in the urban or suburban area is retained to grow food for local consumption.

The Village of Ponderosa in West Des Moines, Iowa is a good example of suburban infill. It was formerly a 9-hole golf course surrounded by suburban West Des Moines businesses and tract homes, but starting in 2006 it was redeveloped into a high-density mixed-use community with a pedestrian friendly retail center.

Infill housing

Infill housing is the insertion of additional housing units into an already approved subdivision or neighborhood. These can be in the form of additional units built on the same lot, by dividing existing homes into multiple units, or by creating new residential lots by further subdivision or lot line adjustments. Units may also be used by building on lots that were previously vacant.

The advantage of infill housing is in the fact that it does not require the subdivision of greenfield land, natural areas, or prime agricultural land. Another advantage is that existing infrastructure is usually almost adequate to provide all the need for utility and other services, at least at first glance.

A possible disadvantage is that structures built as infill may clash architecturally with the older, existing buildings.

External links

• Denver Infill.com - a comprehensive overview and photographic survey of all the urban infill and redevelopment projects in the greater Downtown Denver area

References