The National Association of Realtors publishes On Common Ground twice yearly to focus on topics of Smart Growth, including enhancing the existing assets of a community, the long-term implications of various development patterns, and the fiscal impacts of these patterns. The following issues focus on:
- Sustainable Housing, including the need for affordable housing
- The New Norm, which describes how the real estate market is evolving toward a new normal marked by growing urbanization, greater sustainability, and more transportation choices
- Placemaking and Economic Development details the economic importance of place and how “placemaking” is being used as an economic development strategy. Cities are finding that providing appealing places where people can interact — parks, plazas, main streets, markets — can spur economic prosperity and jobs.
- Megatrends for the Decade highlights changes in demographics and consumer behavior—characterized as a cultural and demographic shift away from suburban sprawl—that will impact transportation preferences and real estate market demands.