While much of Albuquerque’s growth is happening near the City’s outer boundaries, significant infill development is also occurring. Much of the fringe development is as dense as other development in the core. The Albuquerque area is ranked as among the least sprawling communities in the nation.

INDICATORS

• 23.1 Smart Growth America Sprawl Index
• 23.2 New Subdivisions Approved in 1960 & 1980 City Boundaries and Water Infrastructure Zone by Year

  LOCAL TREND:

A growing proportion of approved subdivisions are within the 1960 City boundary. While most recently approved subdivisions are located in the outer areas of the municipal limits, the average lots per acre there is higher than the lots per acre in the more interior areas of the City. Approved subdivisions outside the City and the water service boundary area (in Bernalillo County) have very low ratios of lots to acres.

  NATIONAL/REGIONAL COMPARISON:

Smart Growth America (SGA) ranks the Albuquerque metropolitan statistical area as the twelfth lowest area for sprawl. SGA defines sprawl as low density, predominantly residential areas, far from activity centers or with poorly defined centers, and that have high infrastructure needs.

  CITIZEN PERCEPTION:

Albuquerque residents recognize the importance of this complex desired condition, giving it a mean of over 6 on a 7-point importance scale. Some may underestimate the progress Albuquerque has made in planning for its infrastructure needs and preventing sprawl. Residents in the Southwest and North Albuquerque areas, where much of the outer growth is occurring, grade progress on this condition higher than other areas of the City.

Opportunity to Continue to Improve	LOCAL TREND IS:	Stable
	ALBUQUERQUE, COMPARED TO OTHERS, IS:	Better
	CITIZEN PERCEPTION COMPARED TO DATA:	Matches

NOTE: For help in understanding this page, see Creating a Community Report Card.