Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) means that a new home community is planned from its inception to be less automobile-dependent and more likely to be a walk-able community and more likely to create friendships among the neighbors. These TND communities, such as Cherry Hill Village in Canton, Michigan and Celebration in Orlando, Florida, celebrate yesteryear through traditional planning and design.
These TND communities accomplish this in several ways.
*The communities mix single family homes with multiple dwellings and small commercial enterprises.
*Homes are much closer to the sidewalks than in other subdivisions. Garages often enter from rear alleys, making streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
*All neighborhoods have sidewalks that provide a route to take homeowners out of the residential streets and to the shops, parks and churches in the TND.
*Front porches are bigger and modeled after the porches of yesteryear, often wrapping around the side of a home.
*The multiple-family dwellings are often "brownstones." While brownstone used to refer to a type of stone used in construction, today it more often refers to a row of terrace homes, sometimes called rowhouses, clad in brick.
*Small parks, sometimes called Pocket Parks, are tucked throughout the TND, inviting children and their parents to gather and socialize.
A village square gets prominent attention in a TND. In addition, live/work buildings are developed on the main street. This means that a retail store provides the owners with living quarters above it, much like early downtowns throughout the country.
Because of the variety of home sizes and styles in a well-planned TND, a young couple could conceivably move into one of the community's smaller homes or a brownstone as newlyweds, then move to a larger home after they have children. Then, when they are empty nesters, they could move back to a smaller home or brownstone, all without ever leaving their neighborhood and their friends.
In a well-planned TND, different builders within the community offer plenty of choices for consumers. For example, River's Edge at Cherry Hill Village offers ranches, Cape Cods, and colonials. Many of these have walkout basements as well, providing even more usable square feet. River's Edge, which is one of several neighborhoods within Cherry Hill Village, has two builders: Palazzolo Brothers and Vincent Homes.
That feeling of yesteryear usually stops at the front door of the homes, though. Each home's design meets the modern needs of today's society. Exterior construction feature include brick and lap siding, along with full basements. In addition, the homes include energy efficient furnaces and air conditioners. Inside, a feeling of spaciousness comes from the nine foot ceiling height or, in some plans, vaults, cathedrals, or tray ceilings. Palazzolo Brothers and Vincent Homes offer superb wiring for today's high tech needs, including low voltage wiring. Granite kitchens, walk in closets, hardwood floors, open lofts, and other luxury features also play a prominent role in any TND home.
The best TND designs have yesterday's porches, but today's kitchen. They have yesterday's fireplaces, but today's closets. They have yesterday's streetscapes, but today's safety features. What was old in home design and neighborhood planning is once again new.
About the Author:
Sam (Salvatore) Palazzolo is a co-owner of Palazzolo Brothers Construction, an award-winning home building company in southeast Michigan. He received the prestigious Builder of the Year award in 2005 and his communities have won various awards for design and marketing. Mr. Palazzolo is a 23 year veteran in the building industry and a third-generation builder. He is active in the Building Industry Association of Southeast Michigan (http://www.builders.org) and a member of the National Association of Home Builders (http://www.nahb.org). To review the new homes in Canton, Michigan currently offered by Palazzolo Brothers, such as those in the neo-traditional community of River's Edge at Cherry Hill Village, please visit http://www.palazzolobrothers.com/riversedge.html
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