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Chapter 1. New Urbanist Essentials 17 FOSTERING A VARIETY OF USES Create mixed-use districts. Create mixed-use zoning districts that allow by-right, afine-grained combination of uses, especially within downtown core areas, suburban activity centers, and neighborhood centers of varying scales. The Southeast Orlando Sector Plan described in Chapter 3 lays out the different uses that would best fit in centers of various scales. Create mixed-use neighborhoods. Create neighborhood districts that allow corner stores, civic uses, and a mix of housing types in predominantly resi- dential areas within walking distance of mixed-use centers or Main Streets. Increase and regulate density. Create high-density districts that will gen- erate acritical mass of activity and help support a mix of uses at the core. Some conventional ways of measuring residential density by dwelling units per acre aze problematic because there are no incentives to build smaller units and because mixed-use buildings aren't properly addressed. A better approach, used in some conventional ordinances as well as New Urbanist ones, is regulating density by a combination of limits on total buildout expressed through maximum lot coverage, height, and other dimensional requirements. As long as those basic parameters and building type and other design requirements are met, the use mix and housing unit type can vary (unless ground-floor uses are specified as discussed below). Make it possible to walk to parks, shops, and schools. Require that a spec- ified percentage of new housing units be within walking distance of public schools and pazks and neighborhood retail. For infill projects, allow this proximity requirement to be satisfied by providing such destination uses either within a new project or in an established neighborhood nearby. Require ground floor retail. Stimulate active ground-floor uses that gen- erate pedestrian traffic, such as retail, restaurants, and personal service businesses. Where market conditions and local support are strong, ground- floor retail can be required. Where conditions are not ripe for mandated retail, require buildings that can house successful ground-floor retail by regulating fenestration, entries, and other features, while allowing offices and other nonretail uses in the short term. Over time, track market changes and adjust regulations accordingly. Permit a mix of uses on upper floors. Permit upper floors of mixed-use buildings to contain a mix of dwelling units, offices, and miscellaneous com- patible nonresidential uses (e.g., artist and artisan studios, dance studios, gyms) that generate activity during most hours of the day in the neighborhood. Allow a variety of permitted uses. In all districts, introduce a diversity of compatible uses by right. For more than 50 yeazs, residential development in the United States has been characterized by uniformity-of type, design, and density. Now, New Urbanist projects are recapturing a traditional form that mixes density and housing type within each block and neighborhood to allow households with different needs to live close together in the same neighborhood. IVI/XING f~E51DENTlAL DENSITY AND f?OUSING TYPES Mix housing ttjpes. Allow as of right or require a mix of housing types and lot sizes within neighborhoods, emphasizing in zoning regulations harmonious design and building type. Some communities specify mini- mum densities in certain areas to allow a range of building types and ensure that a critical mass will be created (Figures 2 and 3). FIGURE 2. SHOP HOUSES UPPER-STORY TOWNHOUSE AT-HOME BUSINESS oR sruolo "Shop llol~ses" or "line-work" to~vrihuuses combine upper-story living space with a flexible grrorcnd floor space that can be used as a shop, art studio, or office:. The combinettion offers atI important hrnrsing alternative while adding vitalittiJ to tlce street and providing flexibility to accnnunudate different econurilic uses over time.