The article Neighborhood Design and Walking Trips in Ten US Metropolitan Area (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1995081/pdf/nihms20846.pdf) discusses how neighborhood design impacts walkability in U.S. cities.

After reading the article above and researching the New Urbanism Smart Score card criteria, how would you rate your community, the place you are using for your Portfolio Project?

This week, look around where you live to see if you can spot any of these New Urbanism design principles in buildings or neighborhoods. (Keep in mind that the structures would probably be less than 10 years old.) Post descriptions of these buildings or neighborhoods along with any information you can find online about the building or site as to why the project was undertaken. If you can't find any New Urbanism designs at work where you live, go online and find 3-4 structures or neighborhood elements that illustrate these design principles. Describe their history and why they were built.

In your post, also discuss the following points:

Does your community suffer from urban sprawl?

Is your community at risk of (greater) urban sprawl in the future?

How would New Urbanism designs help to reduce problems you see in your community?

Are there any policies or laws in place that would help reduce urban sprawl in your community?