Contrast this with development patterns in the late 20th century, with segregated land use, massive parking lots, and almost no walkability at all.

As the 21st century dawned, this sprawling development became passé. Nostalgia for the old mixed-use style helped popularize a derivative style, New Urbanism. This style is defined by the Congress of New Urbanism (CNU) as “a planning and development approach based on the principles of how cities and towns had been built for the last several centuries: walkable blocks and streets, housing and shopping in close proximity, and accessible public spaces.”

Celebration, Florida, near Walt Disney World outside Orlando, was among the first New Urbanism projects. It demonstrated that walkable developments de-prioritizing the car could be popular, but it also revealed a flaw in this New Urbanist model: It was built in the transit-free sprawl of suburbia and could only be reached by car. Call it "Drive-to Urbanism."

Examples of isolated, drive-to urbanism can be found all over the US and continue to be built today. One such new project, Old Town Columbus, is in Columbus, Georgia, a medium-sized city located 100 miles southwest of Atlanta.