“New Villages” - The Future of Real Estate?
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Business 2.0 has an article on the future of real estate that thinks we are going to leave the suburbs to a new concept called New Villages. These housing groups will resemble the small villages of the previous times where the homes are all within walking distances.
While this sounds great and utopian, I sincerely doubt that the majority of the population is going to leave our present housing system to revert back. Present city dwellers may make this transition, but unless there is a fuel shortage that limits transportation, I can not see this working. The study that was quoted was done by an advocacy group that obviously has a dog in this fight so it must be discounted.
“New Villages,” as community planner Robert McIntyre dubs them in the latest issue of The Futurist magazine, are compact, pleasantly urban settlements located well away from city centers. They share some of the charms and amenities of cities, thanks to their density, but have the mostly rural surroundings that originally drew people out to the suburbs, as well as the friendly feel of a small town where you know your neighbors.
The concept of New Villages shares some similarities with the so-called “transit villages” you can already see around the country. Starting in the mid-’90s, when architects and local planners became more interested in more pedestrian-friendly, urban developments, transit villages started to spring up outside cities along revitalized rail lines, from Mission Valley near San Diego, to Ballston and Bethesda outside Washington, D.C.
They were very attractive to young city workers and empty-nest parents. Their defining characteristics: They were eminently walkable, densely constructed without feeling overcrowded, and offered a real community feeling with plenty of common spaces.
The difference between transit villages and New Villages is location: While transit villages mostly reinvented older suburbs that are close to cities, New Villages promise to reinvent the sprawl further out.
The demand for such developments is real, and it’s only going to get greater as consumer preferences rapidly shift away from the McMansions preferred by boomers. According to a study by the nonprofit Congress for New Urbanism, while less than 25 percent of middle-aged Americans are interested in living in dense areas, 53 percent of 24-34 year olds would choose to live in transit-rich, walkable neighborhoods, if they had the choice. via Business 2.0
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wow this is a wonderful creation...............i would like to be there once even in my life time........... 
Absolutely agree with Jon, excellent site and very imformative. Keep reporting to us please! 
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Great Real Estate
post ... very interesting. 
Comment by Chris Greig on 25 September 2006:
I think this is a perfect solution for here in Japan. We have a massive amount of retires (around 25% of pop in next 10 years) coming down the hill and the vast majority have little or no interest in the concrete jungles. Many of them would love to live in the country side and relax away there golden years. BUT there is one stumbling point I always here from them. Access to medical services and shopping…If we could provide small communities which share the cost of these services (lets say 50- 80 couples) they would be more than happy to go for it. Sadly, I dont think this would work well in Canada and the United states as the crime rates and violence just wouldnt allow people to live in peace..Japan on the other hand!! (99% gun free!)
anyway thats my 2 cents..
Comment by Debra Boccarossa on 9 June 2007:
I woild love to see communities getting back to traditional ways, we have some new develoements here in Dutchess County, New York that are starting. This all resembles the lifestyle of the Europeans, maybe we can start to enjoy more relaxing enjoyable lives like the Europeans. This would be a great change back to our local neighborhood shops. Enough with the big Dept stores & codness, I like small shops where I know my salesperson and they know my likes and needs.