Dojo-Mojo continues to contemplate the earlier story about Jersey City’s new status as a real city, brought on as we reported by the New York Sun’s declaration that Jersey City finally has a skyline.

We remember a few years back an article that ran in the New York Times placing the blame on JC’s low foot traffic on the Newport Mall. We don’t think this is accurate. After all, Hoboken has plenty of foot traffic and residents there are just as close to the Newport Mall.

Instead, we would argue that the Warehouse district has done a very good job of cutting Newport off from the downtown. We also think the empty lots along Christopher Columbus Drive have cut the western Downtown neighborhoods off from the waterfront. The aging high rise complex along Montgomery street just east of city hall doesn’t exactly make for a nice walk in that direction either. And then there are those giant parking lots in front of Liberty Towers that are not exactly pedestrian friendly.

With new developments under construction on the last of the empty lots between Grove Street and Washington Blvd under way, more people in the Van Vorst, Harsimus Cove, and Hamilton park will have a safe corridor to walk to the downtown. The Warehouse district is finally getting some needed development, and if the various lawsuits cease within the year, a reliable residential and retail district would emerge bridging the gap between Newport and the financial waterfront. Finally, we’ll also say that the two large parking lots in front of Liberty towers need to be built on, hopefully with a mix that includes retail space.

Of course, the shopping complex that includes Shoprite, Bed Bath and Beyond, Costco and other various big box stores don’t help. Their parking lots create a barrier for pedestrians between Washington Blvd and the residential community to the west. But as the value of land in Jersey City rises, the demand to build up on these lots will make big box stores obsolete.

Restricting development and having a walkable downtown community are two incongruos goals. Dense residential developments mean more people to shop at retail stores. Retail stores need more customers to be sustainable. After all, how many scented candles can one person buy?