Pocket Neighborhoods

A “Pocket Neighborhood” is the style of neighborhood that we think will be a desirable model for us to pursue.  Each family will own  their own house and land, as well as a share in all the common areas.  We do not want to follow the traditional American model of housing developments, but instead want to have a small community where we interact with our neighbors frequently and where we live in modest homes with shared community facilities. 

Here are a few ideas from other communities:  In most neighborhoods, the houses are smaller and clumped together to allow for maximum shared spaces.    Notice that parking is centralized and walking is encouraged.

Ross Chapin is a renouned architect who coined the term “Pocket Neighborhood” His book, Pocket Neighborhoods has given us many ideas and guidance in our neighborhood development.  Here is a link to his website: Pocket Neighborhoods Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World.  Marla has purchased a copy of the book which is being shared (passed around) in our group.

As an example, Fair Oaks Eco-Housing is a newly formed pocket neighborhood currently under construction near Sacramento, CA.  There is lots of information and ideas on their website.  They are developing 30 townhomes and flats on 3.7 acres. Home sizes range from two to four bedrooms. Priced from the mid 300’s to the high 600’s.  (Wow… we definitely want to stay below that!).  Each house pays monthly homeowner dues to pay for common elements.