Cause & Effect :: Development Patterns & Traffic Problems

Another key thought from last week's Smart Growth Symposium put on the Shenandoah Valley Builders Association is that . .  .

Distributed neighborhoods, that are not integrated into the community, lead to more driving, and thus, more traffic.

Many new residential developments in this area (think of Route 33 East) are:

• built as islands, connected to the rest of the community by one main arterial road,
  
• don't have any green spaces or even sidewalks, and
  
• don't incorporate any commercial lots.

As a result, the residents have to drive to get to work, school, recreation, shopping, dining, etc.  This driving leads to greater traffic on a community's principal roadways, that could be minimized with the appropriate planning.  Some such principles are:

• Connect new developments to the larger community with more than one road.
• Incorporate green space and sidewalks into new developments for recreation and exercise.
  
• Create mixed-use developments where residents can access shopping, dining and even employment, without leaving their neighborhood.

Creating new developments adhering to the principals above, and others, will have many wonderful long term benefits to our Valley.