Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Ain't This America SoCal/NoCal

Contradicting metropolitan L.A.’s reputation as the capital of unbridled sprawl, roughly two-thirds of new housing built there between 2005 and 2009 was infill – constructed in previously developed areas rather than on raw land in the exurbs.

Other large metro areas with high infill rates were New York, San Francisco and San Jose, according to an analysis released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Infill rates varied considerably, with some places such as Austin, Texas, and Prescott, Ariz., still building the vast majority of housing in undeveloped areas. But 36 of 51 large metro regions saw a rise in infill between the early and final years of the last decade.

In the San Jose area, 8 of 10 homes built between 2000 and 2009 were infill, outpacing L.A. and New York (both about 62%) and the San Francisco region (56%).