Do you think the days of friendly neighborhoods, with banks, ice cream shops and diners set around a town green, are gone? Think again. Picture this: traditional small city blocks, with narrow, tree-canopied streets, parks and gazebos. Sidewalks meander past homes of various sizes and styles. A town green is located in the heart of the neighborhood, and a cozy coffee shop is nearby. No, it isn’t Mayberry, but it might as well be. It is Carolina Commons, one of a growing number of new traditional neighborhood design communities, or TNDs.

Idealism Lives

In these communities, young professionals live alongside seniors. Singles live next door to growing families, who live across from empty-nesters. Here, life goes by at a leisurely pace. Traffic is slower, people walk to town for their groceries and it is easy to get to know your neighbors.

For many, the success of TNDs is an indication that people want to return to a simpler way of life where everything they need—work, dining, entertainment, shopping and culture—can be found in their own neighborhoods. These communities, also referred to as new urbanism developments, are intentionally diverse. Everyday necessities, including grocery stores, pharmacies and schools, are within walking distance.

Less than five miles from a traditional urban center, Carolina Commons is popular for its diversity, walkability and neighborly atmosphere, according to Beth Everett, sales and marketing manager for Land Concepts & Solutions LLC in New Bern, N.C. Everett notes that home sizes range from a 1,300-square-foot Mansion Flat Condominium starting in the $200s to a 5,000-plus-square-foot Lakeside Manor home starting in the $500s.

A Return to American Values

“New urbanism is a style of land planning that is based on the ideals of traditional town planning, which means homes are situated close to the sidewalks to promote a pedestrian lifestyle and foster relationships with neighbors,” says Jennifer Green, marketing director of Cinnamon Shore, a TND community in Port Aransas, TX. “Pedestrian-friendly street design and public spaces provide neighborhood connectivity. Architecture is distinctive yet classic and complementary of the surrounding natural landscape.”

Scott Stewart, RLA, ASLA, manager/member of Stanaland Stewart Company LLC, which developed Devaun Park, a TND community near Calabash, NC., says new urbanism is an outgrowth of responsible land use. “It integrates diversity for housing and access to services within a neighborhood plan that emphasizes pedestrian-oriented connectivity.”

In short, TND communities focus on community interaction and offer a small-town appeal that is lacking in many modern neighborhoods, says Dawn Forrest, director of marketing for Wakefield Development Company. In 2001, Wakefield launched the TND community of Bedford at Falls River. “New urbanism is a return to classic American values, where open green space anchors a community,” explains Forrest. “Garages are accessed by alleys in the back of the houses, while sidewalks and tree-lined streets make it easy to be active and socialize with neighbors. The availability of different home styles ensures that there is something for homeowners at every stage of life.”

No Cookie-Cutters Here

“Unlike the cul-de-sac design of conventional neighborhoods, Cinnamon Shore features a traditional grid of pedestrian-friendly streets that connect the entire community [and] rather than cookie-cutter residences, each block showcases a variety of distinctive home types—ranging from cozy cottages to stately custom homes—yet all in the unique Gulf Coast architectural style that gives the community a charm and personality all its own. Front porches encourage neighborly visits, and all homes have village, park, lake or Gulf views,” says Green of Cinnamon Shore, where homesites range from $130k to $700k and up. Single-family homes with 1,800 to 2,220 square feet start at $370k and custom homes boasting 3,000 to more than 6,000 square feet start at $1 million.

New Urbanist vs. Traditional Communities

Many Americans live in traditional neighborhoods or subdivisions that stand apart from the community—a reflection of the 1950s suburban movement. By contrast, new urbanist communities are reminiscent of the style of neighborhood that dominated the early decades of the 20th century.

In the early 1900s, neighborhoods were small, tightly knit, diverse and self-sufficient. There were the large homes and small cottages. This is distinctly different from today’s “traditional” subdivisions, which typically offer a single type of residence (condominium, single family home, etc.) and cater to specific demographic groups such as retirees, young professionals or empty nesters.

Home Size

Stewart says that TND communities differ from the norm because the housing is diverse, available in numerous sizes from apartments, townhomes, condominiums, single family homes, live/work housing and vertical mixed use housing above commercial uses within the central service center of the community. Traditional communities physically and visually separate housing types; TNDs bring them together.

Socio-Economic Levels

Because there are so many housing opportunities available, TNDs attract residents from a wide variety of social and economic groups within all stages of the typical life and family cycle. According to Stewart, traditional communities isolate socio-economic groups by individualizing neighborhoods based on housing type and income level.

Shopping

While they are typically located within several miles of an established urban center, TNDs are self-sufficient and self-contained. Residents can have access to everything they need without having to leave the community–unless they want to. For instance, Devaun Park is just three miles from the traditional downtown urban center of Calabash, N.C. The community offers light trolley vehicles for mass transit to area regional shopping and beaches.

Schools

Depending on the scale of the community, schools may be integrated into the land plan or located within close proximity for an easy commute on foot.

Businesses

Again, depending on the community’s scope, TNDs may incorporate a wide variety of businesses that target daily domestic needs (food, medical, financial, dining, small domestic goods, transportation, mail, cultural arts and recreational services) all within walking distance. “Most traditional communities rely on approximately nine trips a day per household to support access to separated businesses from their community that are not accessible by pedestrian connections within a reasonable distance from their home,” notes Stewart.

Parks and Recreation

New urbanist neighborhoods are designed to respect existing environmental resources and features. Master plans for these neighborhoods enhance pedestrian access by integrating streetscapes and neighborhoods with a park program, creating passive and active recreational programs for all age groups. “A traditional community will utilize unusable open space riddled by environmental constraints for recreation, privatize the waterfront edges of the community for home sites and not connect the park spaces with pedestrian connectivity,” Stewart says. Another shining example is Hammonds Ferry in North Augusta, SC on the edge of the Savannah River. You can enjoy the shops at Riverfront Square after walking the mile long Riverfront Esplanade, all within walking distance of your home.

The Best of All Worlds

For many homeowners, TNDs are the perfect communities. Homebuyers are flocking to them, in part to save time and money on their daily suburban commute. Galen and Renee Faulconer, both 40 with four kids ranging in age from 4 to 10, expect to move into their 2,000-square-foot seaside cottage in Cinnamon Shore this spring. “I think it is great. I want older neighbors and I want younger neighbors with kids. If you have all seniors or young people it isn’t good, but if you have a little bit of both that works,” says Galen, who expects the property to appreciate in value.

At 60 and 63, Brenda and Steve Bostian moved to Devaun Park to downsize from their 4,000-square-foot home to a custom-built 3000-square-foot home with three bedrooms. Empty nesters, they bought the first lot in Devaun Park five years ago and have been there now for three years. “We love living here. We love how it is laid out. There are sidewalks, the trees have been preserved and there’s a community feel here where people can talk with each other,” says Brenda. “Everything is just a block or two away. It is just a unique layout and we really love it.”

Green says that buyers are also taking to TND communities for health reasons. “Early research on the American obesity phenomenon is now indicating that people who live in new urbanism neighborhoods have lower body mass indices because they are more likely to walk or ride a bicycle than residents of typical suburban developments,” she says.

They are also popular because, quite simply, there is something in these communities for everyone, says Stewart. “Regardless of where you are in your life cycle, a well designed new urbanist community will accommodate every stage of aging by providing housing, services and mobility to maintain a consistent quality of life.”