Design

After reading about West Village and Village Homes, I was mostly surprised by all the seemingly cheap, efficient, sustainable, easy solutions that exist. Especially when reading the chapter on Village Homes, it seemed that the hardest part was convincing the local government that it would work, and adding a few feet to the streets. The creators of Village Homes seemed to have answers to any issue, and they all worked! I would be interested in learning more about the setbacks and severe problems they faced (if any), or their reasoning for why ALL OF AMERICA doesn't live this way. The water collection and movement systems, the orientation of the neighborhood, the plants and vegetables growing everywhere, the building materials...it all seems perfect.

I do wonder, however, how many people would live there who weren't already interested in being sustainable. How applicable and attractive is this type of living to the greater community? Of California? Of the country? Of the world?

In regards to West Village, I wonder how much of their plan they are taking directly from Village Homes. What went wrong (or didn't work as well as planned) with Village homes that they are hoping to improve upon with West Village? I like that in West Village they are having different kinds of housing options, like for students, small families, single people, etc. In the chapter on Village Homes it said that because everyone wants to live there it has gotten really expensive, too much for the lower income families it often attracts.