Faking It
In response to a recent Wall Street Journal article criticizing New Urbanism, Governing.com asks, “What’s so bad about faux downtowns?” You know, these are the trendy developments that incorporate grids, a mix of retail, condo, and apartments, and occasional Disney-esque sense of urbanism. 
Governing gets it right: “By creating pedestrian environments, these places offer suburbanites a place to mingle and get to know their neighbors. And by mixing uses and creating greater densities, they open the door to transit service…” Even more on point is the dean of the University of Michigan