These are just a few points about the design philosophy on which Westhaven is based, much of it taken from Traditional Neighborhood Design. Westhaven is a completely walkable neighborhood.

• Streets are designed for the pedestrian, not for the automobile; they are narrower, with sidewalks for pedestrian traffic.
• Streets are lined with trees that form a canopy for shade and to turn the roadway into an “urban forest.”
• The neighborhood is self-contained with a planned school and an existing Town Center, at which commercial activity will be limited mostly to locally-owned business. (Currently moving in: a dentist, a drugstore, a Vanderbilt medical facility, and soon, a grocery store).
• Architecture is a mix of styles and sizes within each block.
• Greens and squares are planned to serve as focal points of the neighborhood. And many streets encompass a community green that offers neighbors informal gathering spaces or children a playground.
• Front porches to encourage interaction between neighbors.
• Fiber-optic home technology and intranet access creates seamless communication with the world at large, and with the neighborhood community.