[Spooky23]

It's an inner suburb where the population center is like a lower density urban neighborhood.

IMO, it's a way to fight the in-demand construction for today, which is medium density apartments, and more kids looking for access to the schools.

[jtuente]

From another direction, how does "mandatory sidewalks" make medium density apartments more viable in that locale? Is it by putting the onus/cost on the city/taxes to develop the sidewalks, thereby acting as a subsidy for the apartment developer?

[Spooky23]

I don't follow this terribly closely, as its not my town. My understanding is that there's an overall focus on walkable infrastructure that is accessible to services and transit on foot. Some folks are unhappy with that.

There's a lot of dynamics at play. People who own property don't like the mandates because they potentially impact the value of the subdivided value (the builder makes the sidewalks, the municipality maintains them), many people don't want more people & school enrollment because that drives taxes, and old people are afraid of people who ride the bus for various reasons.