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An age-old, cutting-edge approach to community planning |
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Some people call it “mixed-use planning.”
Others refer to it as “New Urbanism” or “Traditional Neighborhood Design.” But these are really just new names for how our much-loved older neighborhoods were developed: with homes, shops, workplaces, parks and schools all within walking distance of each other. Other new communities are beginning to adopt the mixed-use principle, but Mesa del Sol will create a “fine-grained” mix of uses. In other words, it will put a greater variety — of retailers, offices, parks, home styles and so forth — closer together.
The benefits?
First, everything is more convenient. You don’t have to spend as much time in the car getting to and from school, work, the park, the grocery store. In fact, you may find yourself walking to many of these places instead of driving. Which makes it more sustainable, conserving gasoline and reducing carbon emissions. And when you have more people out walking in the neighborhood, you tend to get more people — and more kinds of people — interacting with each other. The whole place feels friendlier.
Finally, a mixed-use community is simply a more interesting community. It’s more colorful, more visually engaging, more alive. Think Old Town. But with all the advantages of being brand new. |
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