The attractiveness of older small towns and a scattering of newer developments demonstrate the appeal of certain characteristics. Lively downtown areas, streets designed for pedestrians as much as autos, a scale and pattern of development that allows us meet everyday needs by walking, are all key factors in ensuring cities provide a high quality of life. The standard style of suburban development since the 1950s produces less livable communities. Uses are rigorously separated into housing subdivisions, shopping malls, and business parks, which are then segregated by walls and wide collector streets. Residents must depend on cars for all their shopping, family and recreational trips.
Traffic congestion is the norm.
A sense of community is often lacking. Provide public places, civic amenities Development patterns to avoid Segregated uses Strip commercial Buildings surrounded by parking lots Office parks Ribbons of development into rural areas We are building sprawling mega-cities that provide this lesser quality of life, while consuming vast acreages of farmland and wildlife habitat. Fifty years ago, Los Angeles was a delightful place to live, a sunny city surrounded by stunning mountain ranges, and the nation's number one agricultural producer. Now it's a vast mega-city stretching 50 miles in all directions, with commuters driving 50 miles between their job and affordable housing. Traffic congestion reduces mobility, but lack of public transportation and scattered services and jobs mandate auto travel.