New Urbanism in Sarasota, Bradenton, Florida

The Sarasota New Urbanism momentum is alive and well. The City's Main Street promotes pedestrian environments or people places to gather and interact with one another; a stage on which to debate, observe or be observed; and be entertained. Sarasota's Main Street has the right blending of color, scale, mass, proportion, texture, rhythm, and balance to become a successful downtown. Most importantly, it feels safe and secure and with the right mix of retail and entertainment, more and more people are drawn to it.

The Bradenton New Urbanism culture is just beginning to come into its own. Row house retail architecture on Old Main Street has been partially renovated and is vibrant during special events. The revitalization of the downtown is rooted in a reason to want to come downtown. The secret will be the proper balance of entertainment venues and a walkable residential community. Fawley Bryant's design for the proposed Artisan Avenue pedestrian art walk, connecting the Waterfront and the Village of the Arts, will provide a destination for regional and local citizens. The art walk is planned to combine mixed use housing and retail blended together with art themed public plazas, water features and fountains, shade pavilions, urban landscaping, pedestrian-friendly gathering places, and information kiosks. The aesthetics of Artisan Avenue will blend historic and contemporary architecture, exceptional interior design and urban streetscapes with a combination of low, mid rise and high rise mixed use buildings. The mix should provide affordable work force housing, live/work units and luxury condominiums and townhomes to create an eclectic fusion of ages, genders and socioeconomic and ethnic classes.

Lakewood Ranch, a community flanking the urbanized area of Sarasota and Manatee Counties, created its urban core in the form of Main Street. Like Bradenton, the excitement is just beginning to take hold. In Lakewood Ranch, the existence of a multiplex theater maintains a steady flow of pedestrians to Main Street. The remaining components of Main Street are street-level retail shopping, restaurants, personal care facilities, lounges, entertainment venues, sports bars, art galleries, commercial space, with residences and offices on the second level. Lakewood Ranch Main Street features wide pedestrian sidewalks, vehicular round-a-bouts and traffic-calmed crosswalks. Parks and urban plazas are available for people watching. The only thing missing are mixed use parking garages that would allow an increase in density and a large, open public plaza for community events.