Prototype for a Pedestrian Oriented Affordable Village
Changing demographics and incomes suggest that new manufactured housing types located in communities are a growing need now and in the future. An entirely new concept had to be generated that could significantly reduce the costs and improve the sense of community. Through a series of workshop exercises, A Nelessen Associates had the opportunity to rethink the classic neighborhood and community. A range of affordable housing types in a more sustainable, pedestrian oriented village was generated.
The form of the village was more organic and picturesque creating multiple places and experiences. To significantly reduce costs and improve the sense of community, cars were removed from the interior of the village thereby eliminating the need for streets, driveways, individual garages thereby enhancing the streetscape and density. The intention of this plan was to remove wide streets, car movement and parking from the community, replaced with a network of 12 foot wide paths for walking, bicycles, and small ATV’s for deliveries, but wide enough for an ambulance and fire truck. A network of paths and parks was first designed as a unfolding sequence of spaces. All the cars for the community would be parked in a mixed-use parking structure that would be lined with offices, works spaces, retail with the top floor of housing/lofts. One could love work and play in this village. Grocery and other delivery would be by carts and ATV’s. A number of simple perspectives provide the proposed character.
