A Times article about Newport, the dense mixed-used development on the Hudson waterfront in Jersey City, talks about how the LeFrak family turned this wasteland of abandoned railyards into a thriving neighborhood. It’s a real success story and a great - and uncommon - example of how open developable spaces can be turned into something better than two-story generic suburban apartments.

The article also mentions a few of the architectural downsides of Newport:

But some urban planners, neighborhood advocates and residents have complained that Newport has a suburban sensibility. Many of the buildings stand alone, with little connection to one another, or to the older, grittier sections of Jersey City to the west, they say. There is a public esplanade along the Hudson River, with sweeping views of Manhattan, but it is bordered by Newport buildings, giving it the impression of a private enclave.

“I love living in a place that takes your breath away,” said Monica Coe, an architect who has lived at Newport for 10 years. “At night you see the sparkling lights of Manhattan, rather than the brick walls you’d get in Manhattan. But it’s a little like living in a feudal holding.”

Dan Falcon, a 15-year resident, said: “Newport has been malled off from the city. We wanted the city to have access to the waterfront.”

All true. The esplanade is great, but not particularly findable from the main road. To access many of the residential buildings (the yellow ones in the center of the map below), a pedestrian has to walk through a gate and across an expanse of parking lots and loading driveways.

And the mall turns its back to the rest of Jersey City; to walk into the mall from the other side, you have to walk through a parking garage (the big gray blob at the top left of the map below) and across or over the light rail tracks; there is no well-lit, clear route in. A bit of a surprise given that this is a mall, but that’s surburban architecture; just like Ratner’s Atlantic Center in Brooklyn, it’s designed for drivers to easily reach but not so thoughtful about pedestrians.

Fortunately:

Mr. LeFrak does not dismiss the criticisms. “It’s a valid point,” he said. “We’re trying to address that now that we have some density.”

According to the map, they plan to extend the walkway all the way across the little canal between Newport and Hoboken, linking the two. Right now, Washington Blvd, the main street, is well lit and pedestrian-friendly up to the edge of the red buildings on the right; beyond that, it passes the Staples and Target, which are deserted parking lots at night, then curves around with no buildings at all, and under a dingy overpass for the NJ Transit tracks. A pedestrian connection is sorely needed.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.