Photo by Tompkins County The placement of public and civic
buildings usually indicates a local government's development
priorities. By locating new public buildings (e.g., libraries,
government buildings, and schools) within existing centers,
governments and school districts demonstrate their commitment to
investment in existing downtowns and encourage further
investment in those areas by the private sector. If a
municipality wants to build a walkable community, it should try
to ensure that new schools and government facilities be located
within easy walking and bicycling distance of many people.
Attracting residents to areas where those facilities already
exist is also an important step.