
Some cities are creating new compact human-scale mixed-use neighborhoods on brown or greenfield sites. Happach wants to create neighborhoods that are more affordable, walkable, and “a good place to live.” New 10-minute neighborhoods: Many citizens feel the high-rise developments destroyed Warsaw’s identity and created an unattractive urban environment. In Poland’s capital city, Warsaw, Director of Architecture Marlena Happach has announced that the city is moving away from the recent deeply unpopular high-rise development to human scale infill in the neighborhoods along their new Metro line east of the Vistula River. Her primary concern has been to create places where people flourish: human scale mixed-use neighborhoods. Jennifer Keesmaat, former Toronto Planning Director, argues that the most successful developments have been in the mid-rise range of 5-6 story, mixed-use continuous urban fabric. are under pressure from developers to reach for the sky, but negative side effects (increasing unaffordability and inequality, damage to the public realm, etc.) may outweigh the benefits. Our large Western cities – Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, etc. These developments include a mix of scales and varied levels of urbanity. The former Stapleton International Airport has become one of Denver’s most prized new neighborhoods.

Villa Italia Mall, with its 100-acre parking lot was transformed into Belmar, a new urban neighborhood with mixed-use development, shops with residential above, and a square at its center.
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The revitalization of the blighted Central Platte Valley spurred multiple urban plazas and a series of mixed-use communities. Scott Jordan, Principal at Civitas, asserts that Denver is leading the way in generating new urban neighborhoods on under-utilized sites by focusing on transit, enhanced pedestrian experiences, and a robust parks system. In 2017 Carmel was voted the most livable city in the US. Residents strongly support the concomitant traffic calming (with now over 100 roundabouts) and identify with the classically-styled architectural language of the growing city center. Here, the first job was to create a strong, compact, walkable, human-scale, mixed-use city center that draws people of all ages to its beautiful squares, parks and trails. 90,000) has seen a dramatic transformation. Under the leadership of Mayor James Brainard, Carmel, Indiana is creating a compact, walkable, city center in what used to be merely a sprawling bedroom suburb of Indianapolis. Other cities are transforming dense districts overburdened with traffic into healthy walkable neighborhoods. Some cities are taking bold steps to transform unhealthy sprawling suburbs into walkable neighborhoods. Langdon is convinced that “places organized at the pedestrian scale are, on balance, the healthiest and most rewarding places to live and work."Ī certain density is required to support all necessary resources within a 10-minute neighborhood, but a growing body of urbanists is convinced that the healthiest density is better achieved in a human scale urban fabric, rather than through high-rise development. In his new book, Within Walking Distance, New Urban News Editor Philip Langdon describes six walkable neighborhoods in US cities – Philadelphia, New Haven, CT, Brattleboro, VT, Chicago, Portland, OR, and Starkville, MS.

How are cities around the world tackling this challenge, and which models offer the best solutions for Western cities? How well do the cutting-edge developments fulfill these principles? How are cities transforming mistakes of the past (sprawling suburbs, unwalkable streets, etc.) into vibrant neighborhoods? When people walk they are more likely to begin to recognize neighbors, talk, and build social networks this is invaluable for strengthening individuals’ social immune system, reinforcing social bonds, and developing kids’ social skills. By reducing car use, this will also be more ecologically friendly. To improve physical health we know we must transform our cities into a networked system of 10-minute neighborhoods. In a healthy 10-minute neighborhood most trips – to school, shops, services, work, recreation, and public transit - can be made by foot or bike within 10 minutes.
