Urban vs. Suburban illustrated

Click on this handy animated GIF (from the City Comforts blog) to see a rather elegant and simple demonstration of the difference between typical suburban commercial "asphalt island" development and the far more pedestrian-friendly "urban" configuration recommended for Franklin's City Civic Center District.

This is why it's pleasant and enjoyable to walk down a traditional downtown street and unsettling to navigate the wide open spaces between sprawled mall out-buildings.

Try walking from Border's to Southridge Mall or Red Robin once. Now imagine doing it with a cane or walker, or while in a wheelchair.

But pedestrian mobility and safety is not the only benefit. For the residential subdivision to the north of Shoppes at Wyndham Village, the more buildings that can be positioned right up to the sidewalk on Drexel (as City Civic Center District zoning encourages) the more attractive and quiet that side of the street will be.