Freedman stressed that most urban areas have too much land zoned for retail, which has contributed to the disinvestment in downtown areas. The increased reliance on the automobile has brought about the need for increased street capacity, which has then caused problems for traditional neighborhood retail which is no longer in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. Retail uses are moving out to the superstore centers, where they can capture customers of the superstore anchors, leaving the downtown areas uninhabited. Video stores, sit-down restaurants, dry cleaners, and locksmiths are examples of retail which could be prohibited in superstore centers. Open space requirements and plans often result in the acquisition and landscaping of new property, which results in unpopulated plazas, parks that are too large to be within walking distance of all offices or homes, streets that are too wide, building setbacks, and lots of surface parking lots.
Open space tends to further separate the single-purpose developments from each other.
Public spaces are always surrounded, defined and enclosed by buildings, which support everyday functions of public life, like shopping, eating, meeting, work, and leisure. This creates a sense of neighborhood and community where people can gather to work and play. The neighborhoods are able to decide how to distribute the funds for projects within their own communities. A slower solution is possible if policies are put in place and changes, through redevelopment, occur over time. Freedman suggested holding workshops to educate, directing a process that is participatory, and encouraging the City Council to host a task force with consultants.