A 1999 NAHB survey found that 83 percent of those polled would choose to purchase a detached home in an outlying suburban area over a townhouse located in the city that is near work, public transportation and shopping. If viable small-lot housing options were permitted in existing neighborhoods, however, it is likely that a market would exist for such homes among baby boomers and other population segments. The median lot size of new homes is actually on the decline, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Between 1990 and 1998, the average lot size declined 12 percent, from 10,000 square feet to 8,800 square feet. Urban and built-up land currently account for only 3 percent of the 1.9 billion acres in the contiguous 48 states.
Farmland accounts for about one-half of all the land in the contiguous states.
Land set aside for recreation and wildlife has more than quadrupled in the last 50 years.