On a large scale and at the neighborhood level, the Fused Urban Plan makes it possible for vehicular traffic to be efficient, without sacrificing pedestrian safety or convenience, and at the neighborhood level it treats pedestrians preferentially because it makes it possible for pedestrian routes to be more direct than vehicular routes. The Merged Urban Plan also provides opportunities to create continuous, exclusive routes for bicycles along streets less used by vehicular traffic. These residential neighborhood qualities have been articulated and codified by several 20th century planners, most rigorously in Christopher Alexanders A Pattern Language. Patterns 49 (Loop Streets), 51 (Green Streets), 52 (Road and Car Network, 23 (Parallel Streets), 61 (Small Public Squares) and 100 (Pedestrian Streets) have been assimilated into each of the quadrant configurations of the Merged Urban Plan. Similarly, the Plan adopts the size of the Neighborhood Unit — 64 hectares (160 acres)—by Clarence Perry, as well as its allocation of approximately 10% of the neighborhood's land for open space and recreation. Unlike the urban layout of historic cities, which tends to be uniform and repetitive, the 16-hectare (40-acre) neighborhood cell of the Merged Urban Plan can have many different configurations. Although some differ from each other in their exact geometry, each of these configurations retains all of its intended qualities.

Retroactive applications of the Merged Urban Plan model can be seen in the centers of some older European cities, such as Montpellier, Munich, Essen and Freiburg and in newer railway towns or suburbs, such as Vauban, Freiburg and Hooten in the Netherlands. In many of these cases, and recognizing the limitations of an already built environment, the key quality of the Merged Urban Plan of having a center impervious to vehicular traffic is evident along with the primacy and continuity of pedestrian-only links with the rest of the legacy system. The Merged Urban Plan is promoted by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

A similar debate has taken place in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom where the term filtered permeability[3] was coined to describe urban layouts that maximize ease of movement for pedestrians and cyclists, but seek to restrict it for motor vehicles. See: Permeability (spatial and transport planning).

On a large scale and at the neighborhood level, the Fused Urban Plan makes it possible for vehicular traffic to be efficient, without sacrificing pedestrian safety or convenience, and at the neighborhood level it treats pedestrians preferentially because it makes it possible for pedestrian routes to be more direct than vehicular routes. The Merged Urban Plan also provides opportunities to create continuous, exclusive routes for bicycles along streets less used by vehicular traffic. These residential neighborhood qualities have been articulated and codified by several 20th century planners, most rigorously in Christopher Alexanders A Pattern Language. Patterns 49 (Loop Streets), 51 (Green Streets), 52 (Road and Car Network, 23 (Parallel Streets), 61 (Small Public Squares) and 100 (Pedestrian Streets) have been assimilated into each of the quadrant configurations of the Merged Urban Plan. Similarly, the Plan adopts the size of the Neighborhood Unit — 64 hectares (160 acres)—by Clarence Perry, as well as its allocation of approximately 10% of the neighborhood's land for open space and recreation. Unlike the urban layout of historic cities, which tends to be uniform and repetitive, the 16-hectare (40-acre) neighborhood cell of the Merged Urban Plan can have many different configurations. Although some differ from each other in their exact geometry, each of these configurations retains all of its intended qualities.

Retroactive applications of the Merged Urban Plan model can be seen in the centers of some older European cities, such as Montpellier, Munich, Essen and Freiburg and in newer railway towns or suburbs, such as Vauban, Freiburg and Hooten in the Netherlands. In many of these cases, and recognizing the limitations of an already built environment, the key quality of the Merged Urban Plan of having a center impervious to vehicular traffic is evident along with the primacy and continuity of pedestrian-only links with the rest of the legacy system. The Merged Urban Plan is promoted by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

A similar debate has taken place in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom where the term filtered permeability[3] was coined to describe urban layouts that maximize ease of movement for pedestrians and cyclists, but seek to restrict it for motor vehicles. See: Permeability (spatial and transport planning).