VillageTown - a town made of villages, not more than 10,000 population, in which all day-to-day destinations are within a ten-minute walk, eliminating the need (and infrastructure) for cars within the community. Culturally and socially enriched, it provides for all ages and stages of life in a safe, economically stable, physically beautiful environment. Its founding purpose is to provide a strong, diverse local economy. Once that is established, its continuing purpose is to enable its citizens to enjoy a Good Life understood as the social pursuits of:
- Conviviality
- Citizenship
- Artistic and Intellectual Growth
- Spiritual Development and Fulfillment
Each village has its own character and look because the people who will live there participate in its design. Surrounded by a greenbelt (to provide access to Nature and prevent cross boundary conflicts), with its own industrial park and motorpool, with no commuters streaming out onto the regional roads, and no adverse environmental impact, it boosts the regional economy without the negative side effects. The typical VillageTown would have a valuation in excess of a billion dollars and generate over $250 million a year in jobs and earnings.
Timeless principles provide a framework that integrates beneficial technology - especially the covergence of internet, computers and video in what is known as Telepresence. Once built (in 12 months), each of the 20 villages of 500 people becomes a historic zone, meaning it has no further development and no sprawl beyond the village walls.
The basic characteristics of a VillageTown include:
- Ideal is about 10,000 population, not more because it becomes bureaucratic. Less than 3,500 and the local economy lacks critical mass.
- Ideal size for a country-town, rural located VillageTown is about 500 acres (200 hectares) with a 150 acre urban core surrounded by a 300 acre greenbelt and a 50 acre industrial park and motorpool.
- Location is best within two hours of a major airport and urban center as about 20% of the local economy sells local-to-global.
- Typical capital value is $1 to 2 billion, generating a minimum of $250 million per annum in income through about 6,000 jobs.
- Sustainability is a given, but not a bragging point.
- Anyone may own as many cars as they want, kept in the motorpool. What is eliminated is the need to use cars to accomplish daily chores. A VillageTown permanently takes 6,000 - 8,000 cars off the road, cutting road use by about one quarter million miles a day (based on US statistics showing the average driver drives 35 miles a day of which only 15% is commuting to work).
