Reply #232: Well put, I agree and

[Lorien]

So do a few other developers out there. For all my complaints against my employer, the Walt Disney company, I will say that their planned community called "Celebration" here in Florida is a model for new developments that encourage a sense of community and are at least mildly environmentally responsible. The community is carefully planned around a central downtown area that includes retail, theaters (movie theaters and an outdoor theater/ bandstand), office space, condos, townhomes, some apartments, and a park. The outskirts of the development include a large hospital, schools, and several larger office complexes. The residential streets have sidewalks along the street, but parking for residents on back alleys, thus encouraging foot traffic and bike use (there are bicycle lanes along all the streets). Nearly every area of Celebration can be reached by bike, if not by foot. The homes are set on small plots of land, but they don't feel overcrowded because of the many village greens, and some canals that are flanked by trees behind some homes, as well as the large forested areas that have been set aside for conservation. To their credit, the city planners schedule regular art and music festivals, antique car shows, plays, picnic concerts, holiday programs, etc., which really encourages the residents to get out and mingle with one another. It is pricey, but there is something there for most budgets. The streets also offer extremely varied architecture (no two identical homes are permitted on one street), and a $235,000 craftsman home is encouraged to be built next to a $2 million Georgian estate, which may sit next to a $600,000 Spanish Tudor stucco. It IS a bit creepy to walk around a brand new town that is set up to resemble something from the 1920s (with some very modern additions), but oddly enough, it works. Hopefully other development planners will sit up and take notice!

courtyard in the downtown area:


typical residential street:


one of the many "village greens":