Seeing high levels of various street activities throughout the day and into the evening is a sign of a successful neighborhood.

In 2001, however, the National Household Travel Study, conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, found that 28 percent of all urban journeys are less than a mile (a 20-minute walk) and yet only 20 percent of these journeys are undertaken on foot. 

Compact, mixed-use development increases walking, but good pedestrian design is equally important.  Best practises for developing a walkable neighborhood are detailed below.