America's 10 Best Eco-Neighbourhoods
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.15.08
As the real estate meltdown continues to deepen, some places may hold their value better than others. Perhaps those communities that were designed to be green will be among the best- they cost less to operate, and are designed more densely to make it easy to get around without a car.
The Natural Homes Jan/Feb edition picks their ten best. Two are built on old airport sites (in Denver, six million tons of runway concrete were reused to make bike paths) , some are urban infills like Greenbridge, (TreeHugger here) while some look like very pretty suburbs that we might have some questions about.
Pringle Creek in Salem, Oregon, has "130 carbon-neutral/net-zero-energy residences—including single- and multi-family houses, cottages, row houses and apartments—with LEED-certified retail, work spaces, parks and community buildings."
Collect all ten at ::Natural Home
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Book Review: Your Eco-Friendly Home
- American Media & the Green Movement: Questions for Readers to Ponder
- Runners World Chases Down the Green
- Green Jobs - Let's Seize The Opportunity
No Village Homes??? Disgraceful. This should be HUGE HUGE front page news. This type of thing is exactly what will save us from a mortgage cristis.
Greenbridge is nothing but a vacant lot at the moment (I pass it almost every day). Why don't they choose developments that they are sure actually work?
Yeah, how about Davis, CA! University town with more bikes than cars. More greenspace than any town this size I've ever seen. Maybe Village Homes is already sold, broken-in and fully functional so it doesn't need the advertising promo...
What about older neighborhoods? I live in a 90 year old brick row house in an urban environment. Solid walls - only 2 face elements. Solar panels going into homes, energy saving windows and insulation on the roof save a lot of heat. We walk for all daily food shopping, Can bus or subway anywhere else in the city. The car sits until the weekend if we want to leave town.
Eschewing the crazy city life and moving to a
safe, quiet, small town like Greenville, Pennsylvania, in the Lakelands, sounds like a green idea to me.
Inexpensive houses ready to retrofit, very low
crime rate, safe, walkable streets and parks.
Good small college ( Thiel ), fine symphony, 3 museums, free summer concerts, river and 4 nearby lakes, well-watered woodlands and plenty of open space, near Amish communities with their expert carpenters, horsehandlers, blacksmiths and harness-makers, quilters, gardeners, housekeepers, etc. No tunnels or freeways !
No mudslides, floods, earthquakes or hurricanes !
Ideal for retirees who are solvent and can walk / drive. If you want more details, email Mim at cfiler@columbus.rr.com