Some time ago, I was out in Long Island, NY and drove by one ofthe busiest shopping centers in Nassau County. Across thestreet—actually, a very busy intersection—sits a brand-newmultifamily development built by a recognized apartment company.And surrounding that multifamily project is even more retail shops,as well as office space.

While sitting at the light, waiting for the traffic to clear, myhusband and I looked at each other and said, “Who the hell wouldwant to live here, for god’s sake?” It’s a question we ask everytime we drive through that area, because we can’t even fathom theidea of having to live so close to a bustling retail center,surrounded by incessant traffic. And even though this particularproject was a standalone community surrounded by other uses, wecan’t imagine living in a true mixed-use community, either.

Maybe it’s just us—we like our quiet space. Our townhouse inWestchester is part of a larger development, but we still do havesome privacy and yard space. Perhaps it’s because we both work inManhattan, so we want our home to be away from the hustle andbustle of more dense, crowded city life (though I’m sure some urbanplanners would not like that way of thinking).