Communities::Design

The community design is built in a group of repeating patterns. Starting from the center, there is a commons area, then learning spaces and workshops, then a set of living areas, each with their own commons area. The roads are placed "out back", so that the commons areas are protected, and the children can play safely. The compact layout ensures that one can walk from one end of the property to the other in about ten or fifteen minutes.

The select groups of trades and professions allows the members of the community to support one another for most common needs such as fixing and building, electrical and plumbing, drywall and carpentry, roofing, masonry, gardening, food processing, storage and preparation, water purification, energy gathering and storage and so on. A unique aspect of this design is that it also includes those in the academic professions who can then provide an academic flavour to the entire community.

The above design reflects a minor change in that a ring road has been added to the perimeter of the community. This provides for a visual and physical barrier. It also allows for a dome to be added over the community, if technology allows and climate requires. The green denotes living, commons and gardening. The blue, working and learning.

The design is created to fit within a quarter section, which is a half mile by a half mile (2,640' x 2,640'), or 160 acres. It contains room for 36 dwellings, with four people expected per dwelling. Each dwelling sits on a parcel of land which is close to an acre in size, with a diameter of 220'. There is a buffer zone of 55' between the perimeter of the property and the next property. Thirty six dwellings with four people per dwelling works out to 144 people, in total. The groupings are designed to allow the trades section to arrive in Year One to construct housing for themselves. In Year Two, two more clusters can be built, perhaps also with the help of those who will be living there. In Year Three, the final three clusters can built. In this manner, construction can proceed at an acceptable pace.