In Davis,
California, Judy and Michael Corbett dreamed of
living among green spaces, of houses nestled among
fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, creeks, and streams.
They aspired to create within suburban Davis a close-knit
community of neighbors that would counteract what
they perceived as a growing sense of “dislocation,
disconnection, and powerlessness” in American communities.
Inspired by Michael's memories of playing on the
grassy banks of a creek near his childhood home,
they set out to create a similar serene environment
where their own children could grow up.
To bring
their dreams to life, the Corbetts needed to secure
financing, but this proved difficult. Financial
institutions were skeptical about backing a project
that differed so radically from the typical real
estate development on the market at that time. Undaunted,
the Corbetts persevered and eventually designed
and developed Village Homes, a unique urban neighborhood
located on a sixty-acre infill property in westernmost
Davis, California.
While
individual lots in Village Homes are smaller than
the average home lot in Davis, the community boasts
a wealth of green space for residents to enjoy.
Houses in clusters of eight are grouped around shared
green spaces that are accessible from private backyards.
An aerial view of Village Homes
A
view of one of the orchards
In addition,
the entire community shares two large parks, two
vineyards, and numerous small orchards and community
gardens. While fences are not permitted to enclose
the private space behind the homes, landscaping
such as shrubs, bushes, and trees can be used to
foster whatever degree of privacy residents desire.
The homes face onto long cul-de-sacs, which minimize
street traffic. Homes are shaded by fruit trees
and flanked by grassy fields.
Several
natural creeks and ponds on the property help to
irrigate the vegetable gardens, orchards, and vineyards
that provide residents with bountiful harvests of
almonds, figs, zucchini, and many other crops.
These
streams and ponds form a system of natural filters
that negate the need for an expensive storm-water
sewer system. The common spaces are maintained jointly
by the families who share them. Costs of maintenance
are kept low by some cash crops such as the almond
harvest, as well as by the natural drainage system
that keeps watering costs at a minimum. The gardeners
and the Homeowners Association oversee crops and efforts
such as the control of mosquitoes and other pests;
they stock year-round creeks with mosquito fish and
design the rest of the streams to drain within two
or three days.
One of the streams that is part of the system of
natural filters
A reasonable yearly fee goes towards the care of Village
Homes' green belts, swimming pool, community center, and
open spaces. Village Homes displays the natural beauty,
sense of community, and ecological benefits that the Corbetts
envisioned. Despite the “urban realities” of the real
estate market cited by their many critics, the houses
in Village Homes sold quickly, even in the face of the
market recession of the early 1980s. This desirability
has been consistent; houses in Village Homes reportedly
come on the market less frequently than do other homes
in the Davis area, and when they do, they sell twice as
quickly. It seems clear that the unique characteristics
of Village Homes have helped make it an economic success.
Moreover,
the garden-city plan has helped establish the close-knit
community its developers envisioned. One study shows
that residents of Village Homes know an average of
40 neighbors, compared to an average of 17 acquaintances
in a nearby suburban-style development. The source
of this increased connectedness can be traced to the
many common green spaces where neighbors come together
for potluck picnics, soccer and football games, orchard
harvesting, as well as day-to-day maintenance activities.
A typical home
This community spirit and the natural environment of Village
Homes are particularly important for providing a nurturing
environment for children to grow. The Corbetts' son, Christopher,
found in these green spaces safety, freedom, and endless
amusement: “Growing up in Village Homes gave me a sense
of freedom and safety that would be difficult to find
in the usual urban neighborhood.
Natural swales effectively handle flood water
"The
orchards, swimming pools, parks, gardens, and
greenbelts within Village Homes offered many stimulating,
exciting, and joyful places for me to play with
my friends. We could walk out our own back doors
into greenbelts full of all kinds of trees to
climb with fruit to eat and gardens with vegetables
to nibble on. Even when we were very young, the
network of greenbelts allowed my friends and I
to go anywhere within the community without facing
the danger of crossing the street. This experience
has shaped the way I see American communities.
Now that I am no longer living in Village Homes,
I feel locked in by the fence in my backyard and
the street in front of my house. I feel a loss
of the freedom I felt as a child."
It is
the natural elements of Village Homes that provide
the idyllic setting central to the Corbetts' original
idea. The heavily vegetated private and shared land
helps create a beautiful, secure and neighborly
community; qualities many Americans feel are currently
missing from contemporary housing developments.
Village Homes proves that hummingbirds and grape
vines can indeed be fixtures of urban life that
are not only aesthetically pleasing, but economically
practical and community-enhancing as well.
All
photos courtesy of Local Government Commission.
