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Yesterday, we had a session talking about the various “must-have” components to the Washington area in West Sacramento where a number of our projects are forthcoming.

A lot of the conversation stemmed around the notion of gathering spaces. If we’re creating eco-urban community, how and where people will congregate and interact is of utmost consideration.

Today, in response to this article in the Bee on neighborliness. The article cites a UC Irvine study that says that “Suburbanites make the best neighbors.” What do you think about this finding? I’m interested in reading the study.

We wrestled with it a bit today among our team, discussing the how the built environment impacts our neighboring instincts: whether or not you invite people over for dinner or wave and say “Hi” or ask to borrow stuff. A lot of us grew up in suburban neighborhoods and each had different experiences: some good, some bad. And even our experiences in urban neighborhoods has been mixed. The question boiled down to the nature of the people that live in a neighborhood–well-designed urban projects don’t automatically translate into neighborliness which is why thought has to be devoted to larger community concepts.

As we’re exploring the emerging community that we’re building in the Washington area, we’re aware that what we build will impact both who lives in the community and as well as how the people who live there will interact. So we’re trying to be deliberate about building it in a way that makes “urban” and “neighborly” a natural fit.

All this connects with one of the scribbles on the car I’ve been riffing on for our site.

Eco-Urban
Few things epitomize the high quality and interconnectivity of eco-urban life as strongly as a corner café. As social gathering places, they bring neighbors out of their homes and into the larger community. Familiar faces at these hang-outs translate into a stronger, safer neighborhood.

In stark contrast to the single-use, utilitarian function of a strip mall chain restaurant, a corner café is a type of “indoor park” that serves diverse needs: a quiet retreat, a hangout spot, a romantic habit, a walking destination, a mid-morning coffee break, a wi-fi workspace, a neutral zone for conducting business, a place to read or write or a place pretend to read or write so you can people-watch. The idea of a single location meeting all these needs simultaneously translates into the same kinds of space, energy and resource efficiencies associated with mixed-use development (which corner cafes often are).

Add “locally owned” and “artisan-quality” into this mix and the corner café takes on the identity of a neighborhood icon that the entire community can celebrate.

LJUrban
For all these reasons and more, we’re designing a fully-operational corner café at the entrance to our Gallery in the Washington Area. And yes, housing will be on the second floor.

Jason