Ever since moving to the United States as a teenager in 1971, I've believed that there is a better way to shape human settlements than what is currently practiced in this country.  I was born in England, where it is not unusual to see houses that are many hundreds of years old.  Although in many cases the floors are uneven and the finishes have been redone many dozens of times over, the original bones of the structure are still as beautiful as when the home was new.
 
This is why we Americans love to visit places like Europe and Asia -- the villages, towns and cities have a sense of history, substantiality, and soulfulness.  By contrast, many of our own towns, neighborhoods and houses have precious little of these qualities.  And because there is so little that's worthy of preservation, whole neighborhoods are torn down every few decades, only to be replaced by the next new development trend, the next quick fix to house the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. 

We don't have to continue this way.  We can in fact build towns, neighborhoods, and homes that are every bit as lovely and inspiring as the European and Asian models we travel to on our vacations.  We just have to recognize what it is that we like about them, and learn to emulate those characteristics in our new developments.

This is why for many years I've been interested in expanding the reach of the Not So Big brand to include community design.  At the root of the Not So Big sensibility is the notion that beauty matters, and is in fact one of the most sustainable attributes a place or object can have.  When something -- be it a tool, a piece of furniture, a home, or a community -- is lovely to look at, to work with, or to live in -- in other words, when it's designed to inspire -- it is not only a delight for those who use it today, but its beauty transcends time and brings that same pleasure to every generation of people who inherit it.  The making of a place that's beautiful, inspiring, and alive is the first step toward the realization of a new, more sustainable, and at the same time Not So Big form of community.  This is what I want to help bring into being.

Over the past two decades, an enormous amount has been learned about what does and doesn't work in developing communities within the New Urban paradigm.  I've often characterized the Not So Big House movement as a perfect parallel with what New Urbanists have promoted in terms of community and neighborhood development.  Now I believe it's time to weave the tenets of both movements together into a new vision for integrated community design.  Add to this some of the important concepts from A Pattern Language and The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander, along with the principle tenets of Not So Big living described in The Not So Big Life, and you will have the kind of place that supports its inhabitants in living all the phases of their lives, from infant to elder.

What I'm hoping to do is identify a team of people who have had direct experience with community-building and who want to take their knowledge to the next level by applying what they know in a new way.

For me, my homework for the next few months is to learn from those existing communities and community builders that have lessons to teach me.  So...

• if you know of communities, either new and old, that really work, and that embody some of the characteristics of Not So Big-ness that are worth emulating

• if you have contacts, publications, or ideas that you think would be helpful to me

• or if you are interested in being kept in the loop as the approach to Not So Big Community evolves

...please let me know.  I'm all ears.

Sarah


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