Imagine a master planned community where all the houses are green, energy self-sufficient, and contain state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems, electronics, appliances, and furnishings at a cost that is much less than a comparable home.
Now imagine these houses on lots with attractive privacy fences and green belts with an abundance of trees and shrubs. Picture the houses, garages, and access streets arranged in a way that takes the best advantage of the green belts and encourages pedestrian traffic and interaction between residents.
Now imagine these houses in a community with natural and landscaped parks, a business park supporting entrepreneurs, a co-op organic fruit and vegetable farm, and a real town center. A town center that is quaint but technologically advanced. The unique design of the community would provide nearly equal distances between home subdivisions and town center. It would also encourage pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Finally, imagine these houses costing much less than a comparable home and neighborhood because of two (2) major differences: the design and size of the houses.
Through an innovative design approach, these houses would be 50 to 75 percent smaller than most homes today. But they would have all the latest technological and comfort features incorporated into a unique, clever, and efficient open design. The exclusive design along with its small size would facilitate much lower energy and water use and monetary investment in furniture, kitchen equipment, and personal electronics.
The exterior design of the houses would have an old-style appearance. However, there would be no compromises made in energy efficiency or green construction.
Because of their small size, the houses in this particular community would only be suitable for couples and singles. These homes would not be appropriate for families with children. Therefore, a separate master-planned community would be built to fulfill their needs.
I have worked on designs for these houses and communities for years! So there are many more aspects of this project that I’ve developed that are too numerous and proprietary to include in this article.
With all the advancements in renewable energy and green technology, it is now possible to build this town as I described. And I intend to make it a reality. I wonder if Ron Howard (Opie) has any suggestions. 🙂
Update
I discovered a community that is almost identical to the one that I describe in this article about a month after I posted it. And I wasn’t searching for something like it online, it just crossed my path. I guess the power of intention really does work. 🙂
I found it when I came upon a documentary called, “Designing a Great Neighborhood.” This documentary is about a community called Wild Sage in the Holiday Neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado. I love what they did with this project. Find out more by visiting their website Wild Sage Cohousing dot org.
I still want to build a 21st Century Mayberry, as it has many features that I didn’t see in the Wild Sage Community. I also want to add some innovations that I saw in the documentary to this project.
Now that I’ve learned about Wild Sage and the fine people associated with it, my passion for building this community has grown tenfold.