27.1 Residential Density and Land Use

This indicator is part of Low and high density living.

Indicator description:

This indicator measures the proportion of low, medium, and high density residential acres in Albuquerque’s ten Community Planning Areas. Community Planning Areas (CPA) include both city and county land. Residential density is a measure of the number of dwelling units per acre. According to the Albuquerque Zoning Code, low density is 1 to 6 dwelling units per acre; medium density is 7 to 15 units, and high density is 16 or more units per acre. Also shown are selected data about land use types in the ten CPAs. The land use types of agriculture, drainage/flood control, parking lots/structures, public/institutional lands, transportation/utilities, and vacant lands are not included.

Why is this indicator relevant?

Residents should have choices in the type of neighborhood in which they live. However, density and land uses affect the efficiency of infrastructure, the “walkability” of neighborhoods, and the number of transit options, all of which have impacts on air quality.

Data Source:
City of Albuquerque Planning Department, 2008.

What can we tell from the data?

• All of the Community Planning Areas’ residential acreage is at least 81% low density, with 1 to 6 dwelling units per acre. The proportion of high density residential areas exceeds the medium density proportion in all but two of the CPAs, the Near Heights and Central Albuquerque.
• The Mid-Heights CPA has the largest proportion of high density residential acreage. The South Valley CPA, which is predominately outside the City limits, has the lowest and is almost entirely low-density.
• Land uses vary widely among Community Planning Areas. Parks and recreation acres dominate the Foot Hills CPA but make up a smaller proportion of the acreage in the Southwest Mesa and Mid-Heights CPAs.
• The proportion of industrial, manufacturing, and warehousing acres is greatest in the Central Albuquerque and the North Valley CPAs. The Foot Hills, West Side, East Gateway, and North Albuquerque have relatively few acres used for these purposes.

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