New Urban Communities Have a Lot to Offer

New Urban Neighborhoods Have “Lots” to Offer

July 24, 2024 — New Urban Urban Community was the surprising winner of our recent poll of favorite retirement community types. Of the 5 possible choices in that poll, New Urban got 28% of the votes, narrowly beating out “I wouldn’t live in any of these” and “All Ages Active Adult”. That development prompted Patricia to ask if we were going to have an article about New Urban Communities, which was a great suggestion! Here is a link to all the results from “Your Favorite Types of Communities“.

New Urban communities (often called traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) are an often overlooked choice for retirement. These communities deliver on many of the requirements desired by many baby boomers. Those include walkability, a neighborhood feel, bike or pedestrian access to a town/city center via paths or sidewalks, and an attractive environment with recreational possibilities.

Retro Village
New Urbanism is, in our opinion, an oxymoron. “Retro Village” or “Retro Urbanism” might be better terms. That is because the movement seems more like a return to what towns were like before cars changed everything – there is really nothing “new” about it! There are plenty of examples of very old towns that are a perfect example of great urban planning –  Savannah, GA; Washington, D.C.; Venice, FL; not to mention almost every walled city in Europe. In all of these cases residences are clustered around parks, shops, and restaurants – making everyday life possible without the hassle of cars and traffic.