Mixed-Use in Small Towns Works, too

One of the biggest misconceptions that I encounter about mixed-use is that it only works in urban cores. It seems to me that people forget about why mixed-use is important in the first place: it allows people to live near their work and where they want to enjoy their free time – making successful neighborhoods in the process.

This past Fall I had the opportunity to be a part of team of Ball State University urban planning students that completed a comprehensive plan for the Town of Griffith in northwest Indiana near Chicago. Griffith, like countless others across the country, is a suburb of a major MSA that finds itself with outdated housing options of very little variety. We looked at successful Indiana downtowns like Madison and Columbus to develop recommendations for how Griffith can promote and attract mixed-use options to bring more life to its housing and downtown. While the phrase, “If you build it, they will come” is not always true in the world of real estate, active reform is often necessary for dying suburbs to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Mixed-use is something that can be accomplished on a variety of scales with the right mix of financing and municipal support. Dying downtowns across the country should analyze its municipal dynamics to determine if mixed-use development is something that makes sense for them. Coupling improved housing with economic development, well-maintained infrastructure, and school system improvements can make suburbs stand out from the crowd and become a desirable place to live.