A new housing development in Gaston, SC in slated to be car-free, with 4.5 miles of bike trails and walking paths. Sounds like fun! Can you imagine never having traffic driving past your front porch? I guess residents will have to get their packages sent via UPS bike delivery.
From Take Part:
Bicycle City’s homes, which will be up to 1,600 square feet, will be constructed according to one of two eco-friendly building guidelines—the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certifications or One Planet Living’s ten principles. Lot price tags will range between $25,000 and $35,000, with individual homes clocking in at around $200,000. Plans for “bicycle taxis” are in the works.
“The beauty of that is that if you want to live next to your car, you buy a lot on the perimeter of the community and you’d be within under a minute’s walk to your car,” says Mellett.
What do you think? Is this idea a step in the right direction or pure gimmick?
Comments
I think that is an awesome
I think that is an awesome idea! It is a play on Edge City, with a more progressive feel to it. Now, if they all get net access and a data/community center to train their children and anyone interested, I think that is the closest thing to an intentional community I would build.
Well, it would have to be in California... ^_^
i'm pretty skeptical of these
i'm pretty skeptical of these 'bike cities', but i'll say that on my last visit down to SC (stayed for a few months recently), there were lots of things that surprised me, including one community called Hammond's Ferry that seemed very New Urbanist. even one enlightened developer can have a big impact.