Fenton praised recent Salt Lake efforts to put living space in its commercial areas, like downtown. That's what revives a community and keeps it vital, Fenton said. Arenas draw people to specific neighborhoods on certain days. Building living space and commercial operations in a mixed-use way brings people outside every day, for extended hours, boosting the economy and fostering a sense of community.

The movement that's sweeping the country is called "active living by design," said Fenton. It gets people moving without using the word "exercise."

"Every time I choose to drive, I'm a little less active," he said.

Some cities are adopting a "complete streets policy" that forces an assessment every time maintenance or rebuilding work is done on a street. "You assess for best practice to serve pedestrians, bikes, transit and auto," Fenton said. "You want pedestrians walking down your street at 3 mph, looking in store windows, not just cars zooming by at 40 mph. That makes safer streets, more consumers, and they're not polluting."

Cost is an oft-cited but superficial reason for bad community building, he said.

"There's no evidence it costs more to build a friendly neighborhood. Schlock subdivisions are easy to build because they know how. Cookie cutter houses, etc. But we are now seeing new urban neighborhoods going up very efficiently."

They have narrow streets to slow down traffic. And because they use less concrete and asphalt, they save developers money. If a street is taken from 30 feet down to 22, with the other eight feet given to the people in the form of a sidewalk and green space, houses actually sell better. "There's much to be gained for the developer."

Studies show that a bike path or trail is a valued amenity, and a house that's close to one will sell quickly.

"When Realtors ranked the amenities asked for, green space was No. 1. So you don't have to be altruistic and care about public health," Fenton said. "Even if you're entirely Machiavellian, good design makes sense."

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com