Green Communities

How is it possible to find out about a community and what it is doing about sustainability?

Here are some of the criteria to look for when determining the “green”-ness of a community:

Length of average commute to work
Air quality
Surface water runoff
Greenhouse gas emissions
Road congestion
Housing affordability
Local food and agriculture availability
Amount of land devoted to parks and greenways
Percentage of city’s fleet’s use of alternative fuels
Car pooling / car sharing initiatives
Public Transportation
City sustainability departments and plans

Smart Growth

Smart growth focuses on communities that are more sustainable through design and use.

Goals:

To counter sustainable developments with real estate development that is beneficial for diverse people and sectors of the community, classes, and with strong public services.

To create communities that have a controlled impact on the environment.

To encourage property laws and zoning that do not place undue burdens on property ownership and a sustainable civic infrastructure.

Earth City Realty is ready to help you become more knowledgeable about smart growth and find the communities that are right for you. Contact us today!

New Urbanism

“New Urbanism” is a term coined by Jane Jacobs in her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961). In it, she described how the threat of urban renewal, which usually involved destroying older neighborhoods to make way for new roads, was devastating to beneficial neighborhoods within the urban district. In other words, the suburbs were destroying the urban areas.

For Jacobs, the urban neighborhoods provided a high-density, mixed-use, economically and ethnically diverse population that was not only good for community interaction, but also ultimately proved more beneficial for green living. With the close proximity of its residents, people are able to commute, shop, spend leisure time, and even prevent crime more easily and with much less waste.

There are plenty of communities in the DFW Metroplex area that not only benefit from design conscious of this concept, but also are beautiful and affordable. Let us help you find your next dream home! Contact us today!

Here’s a funny, yet informative video about new urbanism. Enjoy!