The rationale is simple: if we want to reduce traffic and the need to travel, we need to make sure that our daily needs are all within close proximity to where we live. This allows more people to walk, or cycle with pleasure more of the time. It’s what planners call ‘modal shift.’ This is the freedom to get around, whether for work, leisure, shopping or school, without the need to rely on a car or public transport. This is nothing new. It is how we used to create places until the mid-twentieth century advent of zoning and traffic modernism. Some level of separation is sensible and desirable: we should not build homes next to a waste incinerator. However, that should not extend to shops, cafes, and offices. In short, we should build towns, not just housing estates with 'boxland' retail parks. The planned settlements of the 20th century, from the pre war garden cities to the post war new towns, were planned to be self-sufficient and self-contained. Not all did, particularly post war. Future new towns will not be able to provide everything within walking distance. But they should be self-contained to a degree, providing most amenities within a short walk.

New(ish) mixed use, walkable development in Tarporley, Cheshire.