DEVELOPMENT MODEL

Like much of the rest of the country after World War II, growth in South Florida followed a model of housing subdivisions, malls, and office parks -- built separately and connected only by cars fueled by cheap gas. As each new and ever more distant development sprouted, city centers emptied.

But by the 1990s, exhaustion from long commutes and clogged roads, complaints about a lack of a sense of place, and worries about strained resources prompted calls for ''smart growth'' and mixed-use developments with work, school, and homes in close proximity.''

New Urbanists'' pushed for a return to traditional neighborhood development that was both walkable and connected by public transport.Even though South Florida home buyers are still able to buy more house for their money in the remote suburbs, some are taking a pass.

Last year Brian Lee, 34, lived in a three-bedroom townhome with a yard in Homestead's Malibu Bay subdivision.''The time, tolls, gas, parking and incredibly hectic traffic, it was too much,'' said Lee, an analyst at the U.S. attorney's office in downtown Miami.Now he and his wife live in a loft apartment downtown. He has a 10-minute walk to work, instead of two and half hours in the car.