This type of development is called "new urbanism" and it was built with a focus on walkability, community, and connectivity. 📍Walden, Mechanicsburg, PA #urbandesign #urbanplanning #suburbs

These are both suburban neighborhoods built right next to each other, but they couldn't be more different. To show you what I mean, let's try getting pizza, and we'll start with this neighborhood. Right away, you'll notice the continuous tree-lined sidewalks that make it an inviting place for people to walk. This is because vehicle access to these homes happens from alleys placed behind the houses. Because of this, the actual street doesn't need a driveway for each house's garage, allowing the street to focus on people. In fact, some front porches open up to a lawn instead. With a focus on public green space, it allows for trails that create shortcuts for people walking around the neighborhood too. Finally, and most importantly, you'll notice that this neighborhood actually has businesses in it too, not just houses. Part of the reason this works is because there are different types of housing in this neighborhood, like townhouses, duplexes, and traditional single-family homes. This mix provides a level of density that allows for enough people to be within walking distance of these businesses, one of which is a pizza place, and they're all placed right on the street, creating a sense of place rather than just plopped into a parking lot. And for the people who do want to drive to it, they still have parking placed behind the building. This entire journey was safe and comfortable to walk, and also provided opportunities to naturally interact with your neighbors, whether that's waving hi to people sitting on their porches, or walking through the park. Now let's try getting pizza in this neighborhood. First off, there aren't any pizza places, just houses, which means we'll have to find one in a nearby suburban shopping center. There's a Domino's not too far, but the infrastructure to walk doesn't exist. There are no sidewalks, and there's even signs at the intersection leaving the neighborhood telling you not to walk, so instead, we'll have to drive. You'll notice this neighborhood has driveways that cut into the sidewalk for every house, and instead of encountering people sitting on the front porch, you just encounter other cars sitting in driveways. After we exit the neighborhood, we have to drive on this huge suburban road before turning across four lanes of traffic to finally get into this shopping center with a Domino's. Some of the other businesses here do have outdoor seating, but they all just face the parking lot. While this is the typical suburban experience around the country, it doesn't have to be. It's possible to build quaint, walkable neighborhoods even in the suburbs.