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Easy Green: Discover the Appeal of 'Ecovillages'
Communities devoted to sustainable living are catching on across the U.S., with shared resources and a neighborly approach
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/), my blog devoted to all of the things that make a house a home - decorating from the heart, living with intention, and savoring life's simple pleasures.
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/),... More »
"Ecovillages" — communities dedicated to green living — are springing up in rural, urban and suburban areas around the world. While these communities are extremely varied, they all aim to make sustainable practices an integrated part of daily life for residents.
Whether it is a new-urban development within a large city or a remote rural neighborhood complete with vegetable gardens and walking trails, these communities are often designed to reduce energy consumption, lower the carbon footprint of the community and encourage green practices.
But beyond that, what they seem to be offering is a chance to connect with like-minded people and really get to know the neighbors. Read on to learn more about what attracts people to green communities and how to connect with an ecovillage in your own area.
Whether it is a new-urban development within a large city or a remote rural neighborhood complete with vegetable gardens and walking trails, these communities are often designed to reduce energy consumption, lower the carbon footprint of the community and encourage green practices.
But beyond that, what they seem to be offering is a chance to connect with like-minded people and really get to know the neighbors. Read on to learn more about what attracts people to green communities and how to connect with an ecovillage in your own area.
| Green appeal: Built-in ecodesign. When you move into a green community, or ecovillage, a major part of the appeal lies in the fact that all of the green design work has been done for you. Many communities use solar or wind energy, rainwater harvesting and composting. Inside, homes in ecovillages may incorporate other aspects of green design, from sustainable and recycled materials to passive heating and cooling. Still under development at this writing, the Redberry modular solar homes (shown here) would make a good choice for green housing in an ecovillage. By being partially constructed at a centralized offsite location, modular homes have the potential to greatly reduce waste during the building process. |
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by Globus Builder
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| Green appeal: Shared areas equal more fun, less waste. Community features such as a common playground or swimming pool reduce the energy and resources it would take to build and maintain these amenities in individual homes, while also providing an opportunity to get together with neighbors. |
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Community Spotlight: South Main, Buena Vista, Colorado
This new-urban high-density community was designed around access to a prime kayaking spot, and it has attracted residents who appreciate a green, outdoorsy lifestyle.
Green appeal: Walkability. Rather than needing to hop in the car for every little outing, part of what is so attractive about living in a well-designed ecovillage is the walkability factor. By placing the community within easy walking distance of daily needs like markets, shops and services — or by providing some of those things within the mini neighborhood, community members can skip the car (at least most of the time).
This new-urban high-density community was designed around access to a prime kayaking spot, and it has attracted residents who appreciate a green, outdoorsy lifestyle.
Green appeal: Walkability. Rather than needing to hop in the car for every little outing, part of what is so attractive about living in a well-designed ecovillage is the walkability factor. By placing the community within easy walking distance of daily needs like markets, shops and services — or by providing some of those things within the mini neighborhood, community members can skip the car (at least most of the time).
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| Green appeal: Mixed-use space. The South Main community in Colorado has integrated plenty of live-work space, with residents living above their own shop or working from a home-based office. Cutting out the commute saves an incredible amount of pollution; plus residents can benefit from the goods and services provided by others in the community, further increasing the "walkability factor." Read more about this community |
| Community Spotlight: Sandywoods Farm, Tiverton, Rhode Island The Sandywoods community offers both single-family homes and affordable rental apartments, widening the scope of who has access to this lovely ecofriendly village. |
Green appeal: Open space. Depending on the size of the area, there may be a shared garden, walking path, park or even preserved wild space. Sandywoods Farm has housing areas at a higher density, giving priority to preserving open space and natural areas.
| Green appeal: Locavore lifestyle. Whether sharing a rooftop garden in the city or a large vegetable farm complete with chickens and beehives, many ecovillages include support for growing and eating locally. The Sandywoods Farm garden includes fruit trees, shared veggie gardens and an area just for kids. |
| Green appeal: Sense of community. More than being simply a collection of houses, ecovillages aim to foster a sense of kinship and community among residents. At Sandywoods Farm, many of the community gatherings — from art events to live music and even a produce market — take place in this graceful main house. Read more about Sandywoods Farm |
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by DNM Architect
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| Community Spotlight: TCI Lane Ranch, Carbondale, Colorado This Colorado community aims to produce net zero energy, with a community solar farm, access to mass transit, bike paths and a community garden. |
| Community Spotlight: San Juan Passage, Anacortes, Washington A sustainable, walkable coastal community in Washington state, the San Juan Passage reserved the best waterfront sites for community parks to be enjoyed by all, and landscaping efforts focus on maintaining native plant and wildlife habitats. Want to find an ecofriendly community in your area? Check these resources for community listings where you live: |
Ideabook published on July 2, 2012.
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South Main, meanwhile, is a bunch of architecturally inappropriate houses crammed together on tiny lots. While the faux old west saloon may be appropriate enough in a chintzy sort of way, when you put it next to a spanish mission, a craftsman, a victorian, a modern, a Philadelphia row house, and a Charleston porch house, all dumbed-down to be inoffensive, the community loses any sense of coherence or respect for the context.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what it, and communities like it, are trying to do, but I don't think that Mcmansions dressed up as historical buildings is really the way to go, especially in such a small, rural community.
It's a good observation that Buena Vista is a mostly rural community with an old americana vibe... And indeed the density and to a certain degree the architectural character of South Main aren't explicitly in context with the existing town, it doesn't mean a neighborhood like South Main doesn't fit perfectly into a town like Buena Vista.
Ironically, compared to the majority of New Urban neighborhoods in bigger cities, which are all to often out in far flung suburban areas, South Main is actually walking distance from the historic town center. And it truly achieves walkability, which in my book is arguably one of the highest metrics for sustainable development. I happen to live in South Main, work out of my house, and often go days without getting in my car. Since it is such a small town, if I can't walk there, I can pretty much bike to just about anything you need on a day to day basis (kids school, restaurants, parks, grocery store...)
As for the architectural character, it is unabashedly rooted in traditional architecture, and if you tend to consider that philosophical approach faux, fake or chintzy, then chances are your just not going to appreciate the stylistic thought that has gone into the individual projects. While we do often borrow and import stylistic influences from different locales, at our core we are committed to the idea of a contextual architecture that fits into the region and in our opinion therefore into the town of Buena Vista.
Certainly, what South Main embodies, isn't for everyone in a community like Buena Vista, but it does show how responsible development can look, and even provides amenities and services that the local residents can also take full advantage of and mutually enjoy.