Vibrant mixed-use communities are firmly on the radar screens of many developers today, but they're making a few crucial mistakes in their expectations early in the lives of their projects which are giving mixed-use a bad name. Well-meaning cities are doing the same thing. There was a horrific tornado in my adopted hometown of Tuscaloosa in 2011, and the unusually-enlightened planners set out to transform obliterated parts of the city into real urbanism. But because the developers and the community at large didn't understand all of the implications of building a city vs. rebuilding sprawl, they almost got run out of town. Fortunately, they're still here. But these are some of the things that, if understood in the beginning, could make for a much smoother transition.

mostly-empty first level space that is the full depth of the building

The previous 5 steps in this Downtown Top Ten series were relatively easy, inexpensive, and fun. This step costs nothing, but is where the hard work begins because it's about changing the expectations of developers in ways that affect the bottom line. The core problem: they're seeing only part of the equation, and it's colored by "but this is how we've always done it." And building sprawl vs. building a city are two very different things; the first is fast to build but short-lived; the latter is harder work but leaves a long-lasting and profitable legacy. The building above, for example, has been inhabited for several years but most of the first floor is still vacant because the developer is trying to rent the full depth of the space.

Government Plaza in Tuscaloosa drone-shot from directly above

Important: Several images in this thread are from my adopted hometown of Tuscaloosa because much mixed-use has been built since the 2011 tornado noted above. Mixed-use leadership usually begins with a heroic developer. Here, the city has been the heroic leader. This opens several doors of possibility: it's not just "who will propose a better development," but "who are the leaders and thinkers who will move us all to transform our hometown into a better place."

children playing cornhole on wide Main Street sidewalk at the Village of Providence in Huntsville, Alabama

Mixed-Use Rule #1: Ground-level space is a Day One loss leader. It's there to provide things your residents above want or need. Do it right now by building just thin liner shops, and you'll profit well later like the place in the image above by expanding into the full depth of the building. Figure it at full mature rent now on the entire ground level, and you're locking yourself into an unsustainable pro forma and might not even get off the ground.

biker riding across Pulteny Bridge in Bath, England with thin shops on either side

Mixed-Use Rule #2: You only need to activate the first 12 to 18 feet of the building. Some of the most famous shops in the world are very thin; this is Bath's Pulteny Bridge with shops as thin as 8 feet. Florence's Ponte Vecchio is similar. Do self-storage or some other low-cost use behind for now. People walking along the street can be charmed by excellent storefronts and the businesses which inhabit them.

sidewalk on Courthouse Square in Huntsville, Alabama filled with tables & chairs for sidewalk dining served by first-level restaurants

Mixed-Use Rule #3: Build value in the beginning with shops selling stuff 80% or more of your residents want, like a coffee shop, a sandwich shop, a smoothie shop & maybe a wine bar. Being able to walk downstairs to necessities makes each place more valuable. And saves time. In 2002 while designing the Village of Providence in Huntsville, Alabama, Andres Duany said "I have never seen a more dead courthouse square." This is the scene today. A brilliant urbanist more recently persuaded the attorneys inhabiting the first floors to move their offices up a level and rent out their first floors to restaurants & bars, and the square is absolutely thriving now.

metalworking craftsman in his workshop in San Miguel de Allende

Mixed-Use Rule #4: Diversify. As a street matures, not every building needs a coffee shop. Robust downtowns should have a wide range of uses; the idea that everything downtown should be retail is a harmful fallacy. Also have craft workshops, gyms, offices, etc. Kennedy Smith, longtime Main Street expert, says that retail has never occupied more than about 17% of American downtowns. Thrive broadly!

TV snow screen static and blanked-out storefront

Dead air is to broadcasting what dead storefronts are to downtown vitality: deadly. Put something in empty storefronts, even if it's only hand-drawn placards for nearby businesses. Or "skinny storefronts" (see below) displaying their wares. Cities should have a "blank storefront patrol" working in all downtown areas they hope to become vibrant. Have a storefront toolkit with which you can encourage building owners with a range of options.

CVS store sitting behind a parking lot with mostly-blank exterior walls

Not all areas of the city need this attention. All of the retail sprawl building types are built on blank boxes with just a minimum of high windows near the entry. And that's perfectly normal & rational in sprawl where the box is surrounded by nothing but parking & nobody walks anywhere except straight to the front door. So focus on areas you hope to become vibrant and let sprawl be sprawl. Until it's time for sprawl recovery, but that's beyond the scope of the Downtown Top Ten.

Dollar General Store fronted by parking lot in rural setting

Sprawl building types damage vitality when imposed on downtowns, but there's subtler damage of "sprawl expectations in sheep's clothing," such as blanking storefronts for "blank box thinking," but "skinny storefronts" a few feet deep can act as liner buildings for the box behind. Below are three types of skinny storefronts, but there are countless variations and other types. Explore, and get creative!

two women perusing displays in storefront bay window

Skinny Storefront #1: the Bay Box is a bay window projecting from the building. In this case you can see the store beyond but it can be a closed bay with a door so what's behind is entirely out of view. It could even be display space rented by a nearby shop. This type is one of the most adaptable skinny storefronts and has many variations.

liner building inhabited by cafe & bakery in Boston's North End covers blank side wall of adjacent building with a little help from its friend, the billboard above

Skinny Storefront #2: the Outboard Liner Building is built outside the main building box. It can be one-story or multi-story, covering part or all of the main building. This bakery is only about 15 feet deep & boosts Walk Appeal by diverting the eye from the blank walls behind with a little help from its friend, the rooftop billboard.

shops built into parking garage by repurposing just the outer 18 feet of the garage, which is a single parking bay

Skinny Storefront #3: the Inboard Liner Building is carved into a building like this downtown parking deck. The most common depth is 18 feet, when you reclaim the outer bay of parking spaces. Looking into interesting shops instead of car bumpers creates a huge Walk Appeal boost.

Downtown Top Ten Series Posts

Young Talent

#10 - Start a Yard

#9 - Bring the Carts & Sheds

#8 - Incubate & Pop Up

#7 - Complete Street Tree Network

#6 - Recruit & Cultivate Local Businesses