This maintains a close relationship between the street, sidewalk, and buildings, and keeps the street and sidewalk as a pedestrian-friendly realm. In contrast, modern, suburban-style retail development surrounds low, monotonous buildings with large parking lots, discouraging walking. Continuous Building Frontage. Narrow local streets in traditional villages slow automobile traffic and establish the importance of the pedestrian. In contrast to a conventional subdivision, village streets also have smaller setbacks between homes.
Open space falls into two categories.
Beyond the Green are the natural landscape of forests, wetlands, and ponds, which are preserved as wildlife habitat. Streams provide an excellent framework for creating a network of pedestrian and bicycle pathways through the Village, connecting to the open space beyond. A historic barn, preserved and integrated into the new development, serves as a reminder of the rural heritage of this village. Further out from the village core, pockets of lower-density residential in rural cluster patterns sit amidst more natural open space, hidden from view of the major roadways.