I was struck by the level of ambition in this article vs the bar being set decades ago in some Soviet planned cities: (timestamped link) https://youtu.be/JGVBv7svKLo?t=420s
Now, admittedly there's a huge difference between a new planned neighborhood and updating existing ones, and I'm not saying I want to live in the planned one ... but a cap of 500m to some amenities is a much higher bar to reach for.
I'm waiting eagerly for the day when people in the west can grow up enough to learn from Soviet city and housing policies. Too many people just turn their minds off when they hear that godless commies did it.
I grew up in a 16 hectare commie superblock - every common errand could be done via walking - that includes medical services.
One thing I wish urban planners internalized is that you don't have to create an incredibly dense human pile-up to have walkability.
It's actually worse like that because even if few people have cars, the vehicles will still be a nuisance. Also the 5% that is in the habit of littering will be that more of a problem.
My neighbourhood consisted of buildings with an average total of 4 floors (including ground level) and a few higher ones dotted here and there with squares and playgrounds in between and this is what I consider an ideal population density.
Now, admittedly there's a huge difference between a new planned neighborhood and updating existing ones, and I'm not saying I want to live in the planned one ... but a cap of 500m to some amenities is a much higher bar to reach for.