I’m most intrigued by the idea of pocket neighborhoods because of the communal/social aspect. I think as cities and towns spread some of that neighborly connection is lost. But in pocket neighborhoods you are somewhat forced to commune with your neighbors through gardening and other neighborhood activities.
My brother in law and family live in a historic mill village called Saxapahaw in North Carolina along the Haw River. Although its not in a pocket format, their village fosters the same sense of togetherness and community through events like “Saturdays in Saxapahaw”.
We previously shared about a pocket cottage community in Washington state created by the Cottage Company.
Recently I was reading an old issue of Remodeling magazine and discovered another pocket style community called the Aurora Dwelling Circle in Ithaca, New York.
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Aurora is the creation of a company called New Earth Living. Here are some examples of some floorplans on the site,
Just some of the perks enjoyed by residents at Aurora,
- Super-insulated R35 in walls and R70 in ceilings
- Soy-foam insulated fiberglass framed windows with a high R value
- Digital readout on electrical panels making owner aware of energy consumption
- BTU gas boiler for hot water and heat
- Rainwater retention
- Community composte
- Community gardens
If you know of any other pocket neighborhoods please send me an email, I’d love to hear about them.
