Snoqualmie Ridge is a master-planned community centered on the values of “New Urbanism,” a design movement that began in the 1980s focused on creating walkable communities with a diverse range of land uses. New Urbanist communities – such as the Snoqualmie Ridge development – mix residential, commercial, and retail spaces with recreational parks and public spaces so that people can meet most of their needs by walking through their own neighborhood. 

The New Urbanism Charter, ratified by the Congress, states:

“We advocate the restructuring of public policy and development practices to support the following principles: neighborhoods should be diverse in use and population; communities should be designed for the pedestrian and transit as well as the car; cities and towns should be shaped by physically defined and universally accessible public spaces and community institutions; urban places should be framed by architecture and landscape design that celebrate local history, climate, ecology, and building practice.”
 
Some of the elements present in Snoqualmie’s “New Urbanist” Development:

• Alley Loaded Lots with sidewalks set back from the street by a landscaping strip
• Numerous hard and soft surface trails connecting all neighborhoods (sidewalks) and parks
• Grid system of roads allowing for numerous internal connections between neighborhoods
• Pedestrian focused neo-traditional main street with parking behind the retail storefronts
• A zoning mix of commercial, retail and residential to create a work, live, play environment
• Urban Forestry Program
• “Green” Building Codes
• Livable, Workable, Walkable Communities
• Wastewater and Bio-Solid Facilities
• Stormwater Runoff Management