8 Tips for Suburban Placemaking

Eric Bethany offers a few guidelines for the development of successful suburban centers—following the trend of suburban areas around the country mimicking the walkability and a mix of uses found in more urban areas.

Bethany is taking inspiration from the development of Parsons Alley in the city of Duluth, Georgia, which won a 2017 ULI Development of Excellence Award and a 2017 Charter Award from the Congress for the New Urbanism.

The bulk of the post is devoted to a list of placemaking guidelines that are borrowed from examples like New Orleans, Charleston, and streetcar suburbs outside Atlanta.

The list reads as follows, with more detail in the source post:

1. Storefronts you can touch
2. It's all about the glass
3. Perimeter Parking
4. Great public space
5. Familiar materials
6. Open container
7. Attention to detail
8. Variety