Certainly, with the way we permit commercial buildings today, to allow one to be built next to a home would utterly destroy property values. However, the most insidious effect of use separation is that nearly every single human activity outside of the home requires an automobile trip. The answer is that there was architectural harmony and compatibility between homes and businesses. This is critically important. In the sprawl model, all buildings are set back from the street enormous distances so a huge parking lot can be constructed in front.
Cars are more important than people.
The dominant visual feature of sprawl modelled strip centers is hot oceans of asphalt and cars. This is the first visual image that these communities wish to convey about themselves. People don't matter, only cars matter What a tragic indictment of our urban growth policies. It has been proven that this arrangement destroys street life and pedestrian activity, because Americans won't walk in front of parking lots. They simply cannot sustain that much visual boredom for such long periods.