If you're like most people, you need a place to live and a place to conduct business. For decades, these two types of activities have been conducted in different areas in most American communities, thanks to zoning laws that strove to keep business activity away from residential areas. However, in recent years, the pendulum of distinct zoning areas has been swinging back in the other direction. Today, the trend of offering commercial-residential property is all the rage in many American cities. Mixed-use development combines elements of commercial and residential activity in the same general proximity. Communities based on the mixed-use development principle allow people to live and work in the same neighborhood or area. By allowing commercial and residential properties to co-exist, developers are adding a new dimension of quality of life for Americans who prefer to reside in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. Savvy real estate investors have come to regard mixed-use development as the wave of the future, particularly in large metropolitan areas.