It’s Not About Sidewalks. It’s About Smiles.
What walks in twenty nine countries taught me
I’ve walked the streets of Barcelona, where neighbors gather beneath the shade of trees, their voices carrying over the clink of espresso cups.
The rhythm of the day begins not with commutes or checklists, but with conversation…friends pausing on their way to work, shopkeepers sweeping their stoops, children weaving through the plaza on their way to school.
A simple cup of coffee becomes a daily ritual of belonging.
I’ve strolled the canals of Amsterdam, where even a quick trip to the grocer feels like a community tradition.
Bicycles line the bridges, their baskets filled with fresh bread and flowers. Inside the shop, customers linger in the aisles, swapping stories as much as recipes.
I’ve paused in the narrow alleys of Bangkok, where the air hums with sizzling street food and the scent of jasmine. Strangers pass one another in tight spaces, and still, every interaction carries grace: a bow, a smile, a soft wai. In a place where the streets are alive with movement, that small gesture of recognition transforms anonymity into community.
Everywhere I go, the same truth reveals itself:
walkability creates belonging.
It isn’t the sidewalk itself that matters. It’s the moments it makes possible: the smiles, the rituals, the chance encounters that turn strangers into neighbors and neighborhoods into communities.
Why Walkability is the Amenity Everyone Wants
In the U.S. residential real estate developers love to list amenities: pools, gyms, trails, dog parks. They all have value. But research is clear:
📊 70% of Americans want walkable access to shops, restaurants, and parks (Brookings).
📊 90% of Gen Z and Millennials would pay more to live in a walkable neighborhood (NAR, 2024).
Let’s peel those layers back more. This isn’t just about convenience.
A 2021 Science Advances study found that exposure to even small urban green spaces strengthens social cohesion and reduces loneliness.
A 2022 literature review confirmed that walkable neighborhoods are linked to higher levels of trust and social engagement among residents.
And research in the Journal of Urban Health showed that living within walking distance of daily amenities correlates with lower depression rates and greater life satisfaction.
In other words: walkability is wellness. It’s community health. It’s social fabric.
What Walkability Really Means for Communities
When we talk about walkability in master-planned developments, we can’t reduce it to concrete paths. Walkability is about what you find along the way:
Anchors that create gravity. Chef-led restaurants, local coffee shops, small (farmers, artist, night) markets.
Everyday destinations. A hair salon, a dry cleaner, a bodega who's team not only remembers your order, but your name and greets you with a smile.
Spaces for surprise. Pocket parks, public art corners, pop-up stalls that invite lingering.
Because people don’t remember the sidewalk.
They remember the conversation they had on it.
Small Scale Takeaway
If you want your community to thrive long after the first shovel goes in the ground:
➡️ Don’t push retail and dining to “phase three.”
➡️ Don’t bury your food anchors behind parking lots.
➡️ Don’t assume trails alone will meet the need for connection.
Instead, design walkable belonging: layer in local food, coffee, and daily needs retail at the start.
Make them visible, magnetic, and welcoming.
That’s how “units” become neighborhoods.
A Case Study in Scale
In one suburban master plan I advised, many homes were under 1,500 square feet. Conventional wisdom said buyers wouldn’t bite.
But for the Day 1 experience, we planned pocket parks and a cafe who’s exterior wall doubled as a stage with a screen. We’re watching to see the homes pre-sell faster and at higher price points. Buyers are not purchasing just for square footage. They were investing in a lifestyle of belonging. (Now you understand why I named this newsletter “Soul over Square Footage”)
The future of belonging isn’t gated.
It isn’t car-dependent.
And it isn’t just landscaped trails.
The future of belonging is walkable.
Because walkability isn’t about the path.
It’s about the people you meet along the way.
Not retail. Not real estate. Connection. We need more WE.
The lessons I’ve learned, the lives I’ve touched, and the joy I’ve experienced wouldn’t have been possible without the people who’ve supported me along the way.
To my mentors, colleagues, family, and friends—you’ve been my motivator, and often my source of energy when I needed it most. Every conversation, every shared meal, every moment of encouragement has been a thread in the fabric of this journey.
The table is always open, the seats are always welcome, and the next chapter is just waiting to be written—together.
💡 If you’re interested in joining me in building a world where everyone has a place at the table - sign up ⬇️
