How land developers worked in the 17th century: Abbey Green in Bath must be one of the most beautifully laid out urban developments in Britain. The copyright has expired too. The plane tree that centers it today was a sapling in 1790. Bath is Gold Standard English #GoodUrbanism. 
Your new brownfield development in Houston or Hobart obviously won't have a medieval abbey cathedral but it might have an 18th century tree. Or else you can plant one. Think long. Build for eternity.
Perfectly human scaled, the materials rhyme, the streets are very nearly perfect—not too long, not too narrow, not too broad—for the climate it belongs to. No need for poorly ventilated super markets, leave the streets to green markets and artisans, build courtyards like parks.
We should have nice things. This is not trickier to build than a cul de sac car infested hell with homes that will be landfill within 35 years.
