• 1
  Introduction
• 2
  Strategic infill
• 3
  Strategic expansion
• 4
  Housing stock
• 5
  Natural resources
• 6
  Education
• 7
  Goals and policies
• 8
  Indicators and actions

Growth and city form Introduction

The Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization forecasts that 1.1 million more people with over a half million jobs and households will locate in Bexar County by 2040.

The main reason for our continued growth is our existing assets. San Antonio is home to the primary employment centers and economic engines of the greater San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area. We’re a major tourist center, attracting about 25 million leisure visitors every year. We’re business-friendly with an affordable tax environment. The City’s municipally-owned utilities provide affordable, reliable energy and water with innovative approaches to long-term service provision—a draw for many businesses. We combine our business environment with a relatively low cost of living and average home price. And our strong cultural heritage creates a unique sense of place, demonstrated in our historic neighborhoods and our well-known public spaces. Clearly, San Antonio offers a high quality of life that will attract employers and employees.

Growth presents a tremendous opportunity for San Antonio—if we plan for it now.

Growth will create demand for a range of housing types and locations and generate a variety of jobs requiring a variety of employment sites. Aligning the City’s land use plan—how, where and what we develop—with market demand and consumer and employer preferences will allow us to: expand and diversify housing; preserve existing neighborhoods and natural resources; generate more economic activities; achieve our land use objectives; and help address issues such as affordable housing, income/ economic segregation and health and wellness.

The City is proactively addressing the challenges and opportunities of growth. Some of the issues we face include changing demographic trends, effectively utilizing our land supply and development patterns to ensure we develop sustainably and remaining economically competitive so all of our residents may experience and benefit from a high quality of life.

The Growth and City Form (GCF) goals and policies were developed in response to five key areas of questions about what we would like our city to be in the future.