Here is a book that will help add important information how over a long time  how sustainable communties mature and grow . And Village Homes from it's beginning in the late 70 help foster and keep this idea alive so we can more forward now
                                                                        wes
http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/designsustain.html

About the Authors

Michael Corbett is principal in the consulting firm Town Planners and author of A Better Place to Live (Rodale, 1981). Judy Corbett is founder and executive director of the Local Government Commission, a nonprofit membership organization consisting of mayors, city councilmembers, and county supervisors from across the state of California. She is co-author of Village Homes: Solar House Designs (Rodale, 1979).

DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES


Learning from Village Homes

By: Michael Corbett and Judy Corbett
Foreword by: Robert L. Thayer
Subject Area: Planning/Design
Price: Paper: $30.00s
ISBN: Paper: 1-55963-686-6
ORDERING: How to place your order by phone or online.
Available Fall 1999 Island Press.
6x9; 256 pages; Figures, photos, index.


The movement toward creating more sustainable communities has been growing for decades, and in recent years has gained new prominence with the increasing visibility of planning approaches such as the New Urbanism. Yet there are few examples of successful and time-tested sustainable communities.

Village Homes outside of Davis, California offers one such example. Built between 1975 and 1981 on 60 acres of land, it offers unique features including extensive common areas and green space; community gardens, orchards, and vineyards; narrow streets; pedestrian and bike paths; solar homes; and an innovative ecological drainage system. Authors Michael and Judy Corbett were intimately involved with the design, development, and building of Village Homes, and have resided there since 1977.

In Designing Sustainable Communities, they examine the history of the susta inable community movement and discuss how Village Homes fits into the context of that movement. They offer an inside look at the development of the project from start to finish, describing how the project came about, obstacles that needed to be overcome, design approaches they took, problems that were encountered and how those problems were solved, and changes that have occurred over the years. In addition, they compare Village Homes with other communities and developments across the country, and discuss the future prospects for the continued growth of the sustainable communities movement.

The book offers detailed information on a holistic approach to designing and building successful communities. It represents an invaluable guide for professionals and students involved with planning, architecture, development, and landscape architecture, and for anyone interested in creating more sustainable communities.

Updated 6/8/99