Hidden Treasures in Suburbs

I used live in Bryker Woods, and I have been noticing a lot of changes in the neighborhood. Some of the sweeping mansions have been torn down to make space for multiple homes, and there are new businesses coming into place. If one lived there, it would be harder and harder to remain bored, no matter what age. What this means is that all the businesses get immediate exposure because there are more ways to be a pedestrian and there are more people close together, which helps keep these businesses running.

The challenge of suburbanism is that businesses risk a lack of exposure, and therefore risk running out of business. While I know that businesses should look out for themselves, I can't help but notice that we have put the spaces for them in an awkward position: no one can see the businesses unless he or she is walking, and the neighborhoods are usually not pedestrian friendly. Take Shandeez Restaurant (www.shandeez.com): it's located on Anderson Mill Road, and that road is driven by hundreds of drivers per day. There are plenty of apartments nearby, as well as numerous houses, but there are long stretches where pedestrians would see nothing but houses. Entrances to the gated apartment complexes are not close to the shopping center where Shandeez is located. Because of that, this excellent restaurant has actually done a $10 lunch, and has had to cancel live music events. The neighborhood is not patronizing this restaurant (yes, we know we're in recession), but the restaurant might not stand a chance without more exposure in the form of other businesses and more density.

I know that we all live in suburbs because they are "safer." However, the price of gas is going up, wages are going down, and our business communities will become less diverse and more sparse (by the way, that means less jobs) unless we adopt a more dense approach to development. Sidewalks, buses, and people keep businesses alive. Thank goodness people are still moving to Austin.