Let's Infill A Traditional Neighborhood (And Make A Profit)
It is, in general, cheaper to build on open land than to attempt to build infill in an existing neighborhood. Can you build infill in a reasonable way, and have it pencil out? Over at Strong Towns, they provide some examples of how to turn an underutilized block into a quality mixed use development, and have it pencil out.
“It seems that creating lovable, fine-grained, human-scale places can be profitable - even around a very expensive city like New York City.”