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Many senior communities catering to older residents now emphasize walkable amenities. Parkshore Center — an independent- and assisted-living facility in suburban St. Louis Park, Minnesota,
where John Danicic's parents lived into their 90s — is just steps from a Target store, full-scale grocery, city park and community recreation center. "WALKING IS A MORE COMFORTABLE
EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU'RE NOT PASSING VAST PARKING LOTS OR BLANK WALLS WITH NO WINDOWS." _— Robert Ping_ The Boston-based firm National Development specializes in building
communities where people in their late 70s and 80s can "enjoy a quality of life that's less dependent on a vehicle," says Vice President Michael Glynn. "Our residents
love having coffee shops and restaurants they can walk to, see people and enjoy a sociable life." Their latest project, Waterstone at the Circle in the Cleveland Circle neighborhood of
Boston, is built close to restaurants, shops and the Green Line light rail, which whisks residents to destinations throughout the area. WE USED TO WALK Vast swaths of America are
inhospitable to people who sometimes want to get around by foot, bike, bus or train. That's why Steuteville advocates reviving "Missing Middle" housing, a concept coined by
architect Daniel Parolek to describe neighborhoods that are neither high-rise districts nor mazes of suburban cul-de-sacs. There was a long tradition in this country of mid-size density —
single-family houses close together, duplexes and triplexes, and small courtyard apartment buildings that foster lively neighborhood business districts and high transit ridership, all of
which are central to the growing popularity of 20-Minute Villages. The problem, says Steuteville, is that "current zoning regulations make it almost illegal to build these kinds of
places today." Luckily, that's changing now in some places, says Robert Ping, director of the WALC Institute. Portland, Oregon, for instance, is planning for 90 percent of its
neighborhoods to be 20-Minute Villages by 2030. Stronger social connections are part of the reason, but so is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting public health. In 2015, U.S.
Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities, declaring that "brisk walking can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and
diabetes." A 20-minute walk is generally about a mile, Ping explains. "But that's a long ways to go to get a quart of milk." He advocates a mix of 5-minute hamlets —
offering a corner store, park and café or community meeting place — within larger 20-minute villages that can provide for most of our weekly wants and needs. "Of course in some places,
a 20-minute walk can feel like five minutes," he says, noting that the goal is to make it easy, safe and pleasurable to get around on foot. In a December 2016 _Washington Post_ article
about the health hazards of unwalkable suburbia, Gwen Wright, the planning director of Maryland's Montgomery County, said her county aspires to "10-minute living" that enables
people to get to their jobs, schools and more within an "inviting" 10-minute walk. Whether the destinations are 5, 10 or 20 minutes away, the quality of the walk is key.
"Walking is a more comfortable experience when you're not passing vast parking lots or blank walls with no windows," observes Ping. "That makes us feel exposed. What we
want to see are trees, flowers, interesting buildings at a human scale — and, of course, good lighting at night." _Jay Walljasper — author of the _Great Neighborhood Book_ and the
urban-writer-in-residence at Augsburg College — writes, consults and speaks on how to create stronger communities. _ _Article published February 2017_ RELATED