Retrofitting Suburban Neighborhoods into Walkable Communities

This is a great article from The Wall Street Journal about the retrofit of existing suburban neighborhoods into walkable, mixed-use development. Here is my summary:

Many individuals who moved to the suburbs in search of privacy, elbow room, and/or affordability have since aged. Now elderly, these individuals are beginning to realize that these suburbs are a tough place to grow old with the burden of maintaining yards and driving everywhere for anything. Many are now realizing that this privacy has now become isolation. According to studies however, the majority of these older adults don’t want to leave; they want to age in place. Many suburban cities are pursuing to fix these problems by retrofitting existing suburban neighborhoods into more livable, “lifelong communities.” The idea is to retrofit the single-family neighborhoods with more housing options (such as row houses, condominiums, and town homes) and more walking destinations such as shopping, restaurants, services, and other amenities. It is essentially the spawn of New Urbanism. In order to accomplish these retrofits, a host of various planning and design disciplines is required to address things such as zoning codes and transportation networks.

One example of a suburban retrofit is in Lakewood, CO which converted a collapsing shopping mall into a mixed-use neighborhood where people could live, work, and play. Other cities such as Fayetteville, GA, a suburb of Atlanta, are currently looking at opportunities for retrofitting their suburban neighborhoods. In fact, Atlanta’s suburbs are leading this idea of suburban retrofits with the help of planning and architectural firm Duany Plater-Zyberk. Their design of the Fayetteville retrofit includes greenway paths, a shuttle bus to shopping and health services, and improved links among neighborhoods. According to an Atlanta developer, the challenge is getting all of the many stakeholders involved to collaborate and work together. Financing is another major concern. However, according to Duany, the recession has actually forced planners, builders, and developers to consider alternatives to conventional suburban developments.

This article reminds me of my grandparents, now 88 and 78, who live on 3 acres in a suburban neighborhood. They previously owned 5 acres but sold the lot next door because my grandfather could no longer maintain it. He is no longer able to drive and my grandmother is beginning to slow down as well.