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Free Resources | Land Use | Articles |
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Energy and the Human Environment: Toward Better Neighborhood Design Cont… A poor refrigerator may use 200 kWh per month, and this can add 600,000 unwanted BTU's of heat to the house in the summer. Although it will help heat the house in the winter, using the refrigerator to heat the house makes about as much sense as burning down a house to stay warmer. An efficient refrigerator may use only one-fourth as much energy and will also reduce unwanted heat gain. It also helps to do without appliances that are not necessary, and many of the Village Homes residents have chosen to live without dishwashers, clothes dryers, garbage compactors, and other appliances which often provide very limited benefits at very high cost both in money and energy to purchase and operate. Of all the energy consumed in the United States, nine percent goes toward food production. Large scale agricultural methods require the consumption of enormous amounts of energy. Large farm equipment used in planting and harvesting literally gobbles up fossil fuels. More energy is burned in transporting, refrigerating and packaging the foods. It has been calculated that the large scale methods of agriculture utilized in the United States require more energy than they produce. In other words, it requires more calories to produce a can of corn than you gain when you eat it. Obviously, this kind of inefficient production is going to see some drastic changes in the future. The home vegetable garden seems to be a new trend all over the country. It is a much more energy-efficient method of food production, requiring no automized harvesting, little packaging and no transportation. Village Homes is located on some excellent agricultural land and we are taking maximum advantage of the fact. Seven acres of our land is set aside for small scale agriculture production. In addition, here and there we have excluded houses and planted a mini orchard. An almond orchard of 300 trees screens houses on the periphery of the development from a main road. There are common areas adjacent to every house which are often planted and maintained as a home vegetable garden. Several years ago we surveyed thirty-six potential homeowners and asked them what portion of their yard they would like to use for food production. Nineteen replied ten to forty percent and twelve said more than forty percent. They viewed the incorporation of agricultural land and the availability of vegetable gardening space as some of the most desirable features of the subdivision. We feel that if the greatest potential is realized, about ninety percent of the residents' fruit and vegetables will be grown within the subdivision. Some nuts, honey, poultry and grain are also produced within the community so that it might be possible to produce a quarter of the residents' total food requirements within the neighborhood, reducing energy required for food production by Village residents by one quarter. In Village Homes we have incorporated a natural drainage system for runoff water to prevent the need for manmade, energy-consuming pumping systems. Drainage pipes have not been used in Village Homes. Instead, the subdivision is crisscrossed with small, creeklike channels which hold water and absorb it. These channels are landscaped as small creeks, are very attractive, and are a focal point of the greenbelts. The absorbed water is hopefully helping to replenish Davis's diminishing groundwater supply. Creating a Neighborhood Community A sense of community is an unknown in most of the recent suburbs and developments in America. Anonymous neighbors, fences and commuter jobs encourage the development of alienation and anxiety that threatens to corrode our society and greatly diminishes the satisfaction in many people's lives. One of the dominant factors in the design of Village Homes was a realization of the importance of community, and many features were included to encourage the development of a strong sense of community. To establish this sense of community, people must know their neighbors, and they will get to know them only if they have reasons to get together. In Village Homes, we have made it easier by setting up common areas of greenbelts which are controlled by eight families, who were in most cases involved from design through to construction. After completion, most of the maintenance is also done by the cluster members. This has not always been easy for those of us unused to sharing responsibility, but it has been very effective in establishing community. Working together on community projects has also been encouraged, both to reduce costs and let people get to know one another. Work parties have been held to build retaining walls, bridges, play areas, the pool complex, and community center. This has the added benefit of giving people the pride of ownership and has resulted in much better care and protection of community projects. Village residents not only own a substantial amount of acreage in common, they also own some significant sources of revenue. Their income properties include ownership of ten apartment units within the subdivision and a commercial center (currently made up of small offices). The decisions which must be made about the uses of revenue and resources give community members more important reasons to come together as a group and provide money for the common economic and social welfare of the community. Too much through traffic can disrupt and eventually destroy a community. Village Homes has very definite boundaries and internal roads are made up of long, dead-end cul de sacs. As the residents know each other, they can maintain careful watch on the street. This "defensible space" is a key element in reducing crime rates. Finally, a community is weakened if most or all of the employment opportunities are outside the neighborhood. Village Homes includes several features to provide as many jobs in the community as possible. These include setting aside commercial space for community job development, agricultural areas for community farmers, and the greenbelts and community facilities that are maintained by members of the community, providing income for some residents. In addition, some of the residents work at home. Much more should be done to encourage professional workers to work at home most of the week. We have found it very satisfying to live in a community where on an evening walk you can see and talk to your neighbors as they putter in their garden or walk and visit friends who are close and accessible. |
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