New Urbanist Communities
Feb 8th, 2008 by rlsorbe
This New Urbanist community approach to building and architecture design is catching on quick, and I think I like it. Dwell-looking, funky buildings and houses of myriad colors, shapes and materials, solar panel rooftops, community gardens, and parks all create a fun environment to live. I frequently walk around the Holiday (photos above) neighborhood in North Boulder and check out the new construction projects, as change is taking place at speedy rates.
Longmont’s Prospect neighborhood (photos below), Colorado’s first New Urbanist community, has a very similar feel to North Boulder. The building styles, narrow tree lined streets with public parks and amenities provided a very similar feel to the Holiday. The Prospect story depicts the New Urbanist approach, “This new Urbanist planning movement proposes an antidote to conventional, sprawling suburban development which is characterized by over sized front yards, wide, featureless streets, and inhospitable house fronts dominated by huge garage doors.” Instead, it brings funk and convenient living closer to home.
The spacial layout of this new development approach is planned so more people can live in a smaller area. As our populations are increasing, these neighborhoods provide a shared open community space, similar to a large city without the large city dynamics. I like the idea and lifestyle that these New Urbanist neighborhoods provide because once your home, your home! What I mean is that this community provides live and work spaces, coffee shops, restaurants, parks, gardens and gyms all within walking distance. Having your amenities closer to your living space creates a supported community and local economy. I like how the New Urban approach is progressing.
(The above: photo left is the Holiday’s North Boulder, photo right is Longmont’s The Prospect)
These urbanist developments are intriguing. They’re less expensive and interconnected like an inner city with dog parks, coffee shops, restaurants and markets (though I think the Holiday doesn’t have a food store). Nothing beats being in the center of it all but as realtor prices rise, and availability near the infamous Pearl St is limited, the next best thing is an urbanist community if you want to be closer to something other than a neighbor in the “suburbs”. I wonder, will the architecture withstand time? What’s the value in these developments vs living in town or a place next to the flatirons? I’m not a member of these communities but support my friends who live there and would consider moving into one if the prices were reduced…. it’s not really a city, so though it’s an expensive development, let’s not pass on the cost and pretend it is one.
I do not live in a new urbanist project either. I think the spaces are touching on a unique element. Uniqueness, There is a movement to be your own person and create your own style within a high density space. Is the individuality of the spaces actually starting to be so unique that it is starting to look the same?
What is truly fresh and new?
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