New study shows that walkable urbanism will provide "an economic foundation for the US economy"

foot-traffic.jpg.662x0_q100_crop-scaleIt used to be simple: there was the city and there were the suburbs. Now, according to Chris Leinberger in a new report Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America's Largest Metros, the distinction is a lot more subtle. A lot of suburban town centers have been getting denser and more walkable. Quite a few cities are not. Now, the more critical definitions are walkable (often urban) and driveable (often suburban.) The report notes:

“The future growth of walkable urban places could provide the same economic base in the 21st century that drivable sub-urbanism did in the mid-to late-20th century . However, this growth will not be realized without appropriate infrastructure, zoning, and financing mechanisms at the federal, state, and local levels.”

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