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Neotraditional Design Adds Taste of Nostalgia, ComfortBy Pauline M. Harris
It may sound like a Norman Rockwell painting, but for planners at Baltimore's Cochran Stephenson & Donkervoet (CS&D) Architects, it's the next logical step in an architectural design movement known as "neotraditionalism." And, as the movement gains momentum among architects, builders, and consumers, it's an option that may soon be coming to a senior-living community near you. The premise of neotraditional design, according to Duncan Walker, an architect at CS&D, is a "reaction against modernist planning techniques." The modern suburban neighbor has evolved into an isolated collection of self-contained homes: highways lead from cities to arterial roads to cul-de-sacs that dead end into the driveways of homes where two-or-three car garages are a predominant architectural feature. In these neighborhoods, people get around by car. Front porches are nowhere to be found, houses are set far back from the street and sidewalks may not be present. There are few neighbors chatting over picket fences, because neighbors rarely see one another. If there are fences they are most likely tall privacy fences. People drive to do their shopping and visit friends. They chat on the phone or the Internet.
According to the charter for the Congress of the New Urbanism, a leading national proponent of neotraditionalism, "Many activities of daily living should occur within walking distance, allowing independence to those who do not drive, especially the elderly and the young. Interconnected networks of streets should be designed to encourage walking, reduce the number and length of automobile trips, and conserve energy." This charter also discusses the importance of preserving urban cores, creating architectural opportunities for human interaction, "the conservation of natural environments, and the preservation of our built legacy." It's a lengthy document that spells out the negative ramifications of current design theory on our relationships, our environment, and our resources, and ways to overcome them. But neotraditionalism also responds to a gut-level desire that is on the rise in an increasingly sterile landscape of strip malls, tract homes, and traffic jams: the yearning more and more people have to live somewhere. In too many places, there seems to be, as Gertrude Stein once said of Oakland, Calif., no "there" there--no heart, no soul, no connection to the people and amenities that make places memorable, exciting, unique, and enjoyable. Creating places that have lots of "there" there is a central goal of the neotraditionalists.
"The silent generation retirees are active, social, and better off financially than any retirees before them, says Tipton. "They view their senior-living options as opportunities to shed the responsibilities of home ownership without sacrificing their social calendars, golf dates, or travel plans. They exercise, swim, bike, and continue to enjoy life. They look for living options that combine the best of country club living with a complete spectrum of quality care. They want to live in homes where family and friends can visit, where they can get together with neighbors, and where they can keep their possessions with them." The longer Tipton and CS&D looked at the market demands of this new generation of retirees, the more appropriate neotradtionalism looked. "Our theory is, housing that is less institutional offers more diversity and creates a community that feels residential. It would be attractive to a member of the silent generation," he says. "Our feeling is that the design principles and theories underlying the neotraditional housing approach will work well for future retirement communities." This is theory, since there are no neotraditional senior living communities currently in existence. "But," says Tipton, "we are beginning to design communities this way." Two projects, one in Gettysburg, Penn., and another in Leesburg, Va., are currently under development. Cumberland Village, in Gettysburg, is a 400-acre site that includes a golf course and a village center with modest sized homes for seniors. Goodwin House, a retirement community company in Alexandria, Va., sponsors the community in Leesburg. "The concept very much reflects the neotraditional theory for senior living," says Tipton. Communities designed using neotraditional concepts can incorporate citizens of all ages because they offer a richer mix of housing styles, feature town centers with apartments above store fronts, and can easily incorporate more of the services seniors depend on, unlike the current suburban design theory. In such a place, an elderly, independent couple might live in a single-level cottage a short distance from the village center where they can walk to the drugstore, the supermarket, and their doctor's office. Those needing more attention may live in specially designed apartments in the village square even closer to their needed services and caregivers. Generations of a families could live within blocks of one another, and the neotraditional town could accommodate needs as diverse as a seven-year-old's bike riding excursions and her great-grandmother's weekly visit to the physical therapist. "Neotraditionalism is kind of a Disney World approach to life," says Tipton, "but it has been successful." Indeed, one of the most successful and best known examples of neotraditional design is a Disney project. Celebration was established just outside Orlando, Fla., in 1994 and has been highly successful. Several properties are currently on the market for prices in excess of $1 million. Other neotraditional projects include the Kentlands in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, and Belmont Forest in Loudoun County, Va. According to CS&D's Walker, "In senior-living communities, most people are not rushing around, so neotraditional design works well." Such communities offer the intangible quality of life one experiences with porches, sidewalks, and picket fences. This, he says, is an opportunity for an architect to create something of beauty and function. Pauline M. Harris is a marketing and public relations consultant in Baltimore, Md. did you know?Some neotraditional communities for further investigation: Celebration, a new town near Orlando, Fla Camden Park, a subdivision near Chapel Hill, NC Belmont Forest, a subdivision in Loudoun County, Va Fairview Village, a subdivision near Portland, Ore Harbor Town, an inner city neighborhood in Memphis, Tenn Kentlands, Maryland, a new town near Washington, D.C. Newpoint, a subdivision near Beaufort, SC Northwest Landing, a subdivision near Seattle, Wash Seaside, a resort town in the Florida panhandle For information on neotraditional planning concepts, contact: Congress for the New Urbanism 706 Sacramento Street, Box 148 San Francisco, Calif 94108 (415) 291-9804. www.cnu.org Center for Livable Communities 1414 K Street, Suite 250 Sacramento, Calif 95814 (916) 448-1198 www.lgc.org/center/ For additional reading, look for these publications:
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It's
the very picture of comfortable retirement: basking in a warm sunset that bathes
a porch swing in peach and pink hues, taking in the evening air, and chatting
with neighbors while pies cool on an open kitchen window sill.
To a
neotraditionalist, this kind of development represents the epitome of what's
wrong with American culture: it is wasteful, dysfunctional, and environmentally
irresponsible. It is also the predominant model for new land, which was
developed in the US since World War II. "Neotraditionalism tries to reclaim
some of the feeling of older towns, cities, and villages and return to
'community,'" says Walker.
What
does this have to do with senior living? Glen Tipton, a principal at CS&D
and an expert on architectural design and planning for senior living facilities,
has spent years studying the changing psychology of retirees. "The GI
generation," he says, "survived the Great Depression together, fought
the good fight together, and heralded in Social Security and the New Deal
together." Psychologically, this generation trusts government institutions,
has an expectation that they should be cared for in their old age, and accepts
the institutional model of nursing homes. It was for this generation that
high-rise nursing homes were built, and, by and large, they have felt at home in
them. However, the new retirees, born between WWII and the baby boomer
generation, think differently. "The silent generation," as Tipton
calls them, are now entering their retirement years and are looking at senior
living options." They are looking for something more.
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