The overall solution to the region's housing crisis is smart growth. Instead of building further and further away from urban centers, developers must find a way to use available land in closer proximity to existing infrastructure to responsibly accommodate growth.

This smart growth approach to development is exemplified in an urban village. Smart growth indicates a community designed with a series of neighborhoods that are:

• Walkable with a mix of commercial, retail and housing uses.
• Community-oriented, with civic facilities, schools, public squares and parks.
• Pedestrian friendly.
• Environmentally friendly.
• Aesthetically pleasing.
• Safe.
• Close to public transit.
• Technologically oriented.
• Economically diverse.

The Las Lomas community would consist of distinct “neighborhoods” or “village enclaves.” Several neighborhoods, taken together, would comprise a “village.” Residential uses, comprising most of the community’s fabric, would be organized into “neighborhoods,” each conceived with a distinct center and a clear edge that would define its boundary.

According to a “Housing and Urban Villages in the San Fernando Valley” report prepared by the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, the urban village concept provides a critical solution to the region’s housing needs as it increases housing stock, provides a focus for a community that reduces the need for commuting outside of it, and creates a community identity.