I am genuinely asking for my own edification, and not challenging anyones values related to development.

They are all troubling for various reasons, and many of these developments were criticized when proposed. When the South Waterfront development was first proposed, the city hired planners from outside Knoxville (Boston?) to develop a master plan and 'form-based code' for these new projects. One might have expected better than what we got. The Kern's Bakery development (at least, the residential component of it) is just the latest in a series of poorly sited projects.

The 'affordable' housing project on Young High is another example: many of the units face due West or due East, not desirable orientations in this climate. Those that face East overlook the large USPS parking lot. And about half the units in the 'affordable' project behind Bojangles on Chapman also face due West, overlook the dumpsters of the fast food restaurants, and are exposed to heavy commercial traffic (noise and air pollution) along Chapman, forcing future residents to keep their windows closed and use their air-conditioning systems.

A form-based code is a land development regulation that fosters predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the organizing principle for the code.