I received this article from my friend Ken.
People need people, and a more simplified social-centered lifestyle. That's the key motivation for a major trend in today's housing market. Increasing numbers of homebuyers tend to shy away from large, maintenance-heavy homes with spacious yards in favor of small basic homes in intimate neighborhoods. They want to live close, but not too close, to neighbors. Thus, architects and developers are responding by planning small groups of single-family homes - perhaps 6 to 12 small homes - in a setting of neighbor-friendliness. These mini-communities are sometimes referred to as pocket neighborhoods.
Typically, these are clustered groups of neighboring houses gathered around some sort of shared open space - a garden courtyard, a pedestrian street, a series of joined backyards, or a reclaimed alley - all of which have a clear sense of territory and shared stewardship. They can be in urban, suburban or rural areas, it was noted by architect Ross Chapin, author of the new book, "Pocket Neighborhoods," published by Taunton Press.
These are settings where nearby neighbors can easily know one another, where empty nesters and single householders with far-flung families can find friendship or a helping hand nearby, and where children can have shirttail aunties and uncles just beyond their front gate, Chapin said.
