Mixed-Use Residential is not for Everyone

 

A common theme in media as of late is to depict suburban living as this monotonous, dull and dreary way of life, living in rows of houses that all look the same, making the same commute to work every day, stuck in the same traffic every day. It is these same voices that portray mixed-use residential blocks as the solution to end all problems… there would be less need for cars (i.e. less greenhouse gas emissions,) shorter commutes, smaller urban/suburban footprints, a larger sense of community, the list goes on.

While I do take personal issue with the way that a lot of developers approach the idea of building a suburb, such as repeating the same house 50 times with different colored vinyl siding and renting the units with no intention of selling (this can be a whole other rant,) I did happen to grow up in a suburb myself. I was very fortunate to live in a home with a large backyard and on a not-too-busy street which I could play in. Urban environments, especially those in the United States, are not somewhere a child can play with their friends unsupervised. Safety and privacy are large factors at play when a family decides to place their roots in a suburb. It is for these reasons I am a strong believer that suburbs are not the enemy, it is the way they are approached by profit focused developers.

Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two: sprawling suburbs and mixed-use residential blocks. I believe the USGBC is paving the way for a more sustainable suburb with their LEED accreditation for neighborhood developments, and I would like to see the LEED neighborhood development strategy implemented more nationwide, as is lays out a great framework for a safe, walkable mini-community within or outside a city.