Although Crawford Square was explicitly planned as a New Urbanist community, several key aspects of its design seem to contradict the goals of New Urbanism. The principles of New Urbanism call for higher densities, mixed uses, pedestrian accessibility, public transit, and the protection of natural environments—all in contrast to the sprawling suburbs of the American landscape. Crawford Square's deliberate accommodation of the automobile, lack of public transit, and non-integrated land use (all residential) are the most outstanding failures of Crawford Square to uphold New Urbanism; however, other features are more consistent with New Urbanism. The development's housing architecture and design were based on the local history and the topography of area (modifications were made to the structures based on the steep grade). The housing was designed after the traditional housing of the same area, but the Crawford Square landscape is quite visually distinct from the adjacent older streetscapes of the Hill District.