A Village Town Is...
... a town made of villages and
...a place where people connect.
By villages we mean side-by-side but separate, identifiable face-to-face communities of approximately 500 people, typically about 200 homes. Villages have a central plaza that define the energy of the village, the central meeting place where people work, shop, socialize and stroll. People live in the village. Most work there on the plaza or in a nearby office near the town square or the industrial park. Their young children go to school in the village, and the village provides a place for them in all stages of life. Villages tend to develop character based on the mix of personalities who live there. Each one has its own look, feel and flavor because its theme and style was set by its founding citizens.
The Problem With Villages is Economic
The problem with villages is economic. With 500 people a community can probably support a general store. But with 5,000 people a community can support a bookstore, a watch maker, a hardware store, and at 10,000 people a community will have a thriving local economy because the critical mass of customers exist for the businesses to do well.
The word comes from the ancient Greek word polis which is usually translated as City-State. Unlike the City-State, the VillageTown exists within the protection of the larger holons of the state and nation, but like the City-State its purpose for existence is to enable its citizens to enjoy a good life... conviviality, citizenship, artistic, intellectual and spiritual growth. In the City-State everything people needed was within walking distance including its food source. Population and land coverage was about the same. It is our 21st century shift in technology that makes the polis life viable once again.
There are three different VillageTown types: country-market town, urban reclamation, suburban alternative
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