Why Smart Builders Care About Walkability

Increasingly, the market is demanding places where homeowners can hoof it. Here are some ways you can deliver.

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Take the long view
“Built with craft and care, well-designed places that people want to spend time in never lose their luster. They remain vital and continue to appreciate in value,” says Stefanos Polyzoides, principal of Moule and Polyzoides in Pasadena, Calif., a firm that has brought walkability to unlikely places such as Orange County, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., and El Paso, Texas. A big part of is ensuring that there’s interest and variety in the streetscape.
Appealing neighborhoods are a long-term proposition. Forest Hills in Queens, N.Y.—widely seen as one of the most successful master planned communities ever—started 100 years ago; it earned that inviting patina over time. “Once upon a time, the trees were little twigs,” Powers says. So, what about that artificial feel that some new communities are criticized for? “Fifty years from now, people will say Kentlands was the Forest Hills of its time,” says Powers of the Gaithersburg, Md., community developed in the late ’80s. “One of the goals is to create a pattern that will be picked up on and connects the new with the old,” instead of erecting buffers between them.

Be street smart
“Four-foot sidewalks aren’t wide enough for couples to stroll, or for people to stop and talk and a baby carriage to pass by,” Looney says. “Four and a half feet is good, and 5 feet is
better,” he says. “Each place is different,” says Speck, but “home builders who are interested in long-term value will insist that all streets are lined on both sides by trees approximately 30 feet on center,” he says. “Go for as many and as big as the budget allows, and mix them up, so that some are in full glory in the fall while others are blooming in the spring,” Looney says.

Encourage interaction
Design public spaces as outdoor rooms with a sense of enclosure. Configure them so storefronts face each other, instead of being lined up strip-mall style. Include large front porches to help encourage neighborhood interaction while providing a buffer for private living spaces. Special care needs to be taken for porches that are very close to the sidewalk. Buena Vista, Colo., design director Kenny Craft took a cue from the playbook of urban planner Steve Mouzon and elevated these types of porches 3 feet or 4 feet to help homeowners feel comfortable with instead of vulnerable to action from the street.

Be picky about mixed use
“If you take the first tenant who comes along, you might end up with a cell phone store, a dollar store, and a liquor store,” instead of a coffee shop, a bookstore, a clothing store, and a restaurant, Powers says. “Pick tenants that contribute to each other and to the public realm,” he adds.

Push for change, but don’t force a view
Admittedly, the federal government doesn’t make it easy to get funding, says John Norquist, president and CEO of the Congress for New Urbanism, citing the 25 percent commercial cap imposed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for mixed use. The FHA recently raised the cap to 35 percent, and Norquist is lobbying for Fannie, Freddie, and HUD to follow the FHA’s lead. Speck is hopeful that other groups will join in. “Wouldn’t it be great if the power of the home building industry were also brought to bear?”
Though increased foot traffic is one of the chief goals here, Powers knows that delivering great options for home buyers remains essential. “We’re not saying ‘give up your car entirely,’” he adds. “Walkability is market-driven. It’s about creating more choice and may the best man win.”

Learn more about markets featured in this article: El Paso, TX, Los Angeles, CA, Tucson, AZ.

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Amy Albert and Jennifer Goodman

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