Mix Land Uses
Smart growth supports mixed land uses as a critical component of achieving better places to live. By putting residential, commercial and recreational uses in close proximity to one another, alternatives to driving, such as walking or biking, become viable. Mixed land uses also provide a more diverse and sizable population and commercial base for supporting viable public transit. Mixed use can enhance the vitality and perceived security of an area by increasing the number and activity of people on the street. It attracts pedestrians and helps revitalize community life by making streets, public spaces and pedestrian-oriented retail become places where people meet.
Mixed land uses can contribute economic benefits. For example, siting commercial areas close to residential areas can raise property values, helping increase local tax receipts. Meanwhile, businesses recognize the benefits associated with locations that attract more people, increasing economic activity.
In today's service economy, communities find that by mixing land uses, they make neighborhoods attractive to workers who are considering quality-of-life-criteria as well as salary to determine where they will settle. Smart growth provides a means and a basis for communities to alter existing planning structures that don't allow mixed land uses.
More information from Smart Growth Network partners:
Trip Generation Tool for Mixed-Use Developments
www.epa.gov/dced/mxd_tripgeneration.html
Healthy and Livable Communities
www.asla.org/livable.aspx
Multi-Use
www.pps.org/multi-use/
Smart Growth Principles
