BACKGROUND
The world we live in is more fragmented than ever. We have compartmentalized vital systems (food production, waste disposal, and energy production being only a few) to create places that are not sustainable. The experience of the American suburb is one of long distance transportation. Families travel to and from work and school in multiple vehicles. They seek recreation in city centers or rural green spaces, while their food, utilities, and public services circuitously make their way from source to sink.
As fuel prices rise and climate disruption intensifies, the value of a multifunctional design that layers green space with amentities, food production, recreation, public services, and housing becomes clear.
In response to these converging challenges, a new design paradigm is arising which aims to create independent communities that are more closely tied to their landscapes, utilizing all available on-site resources.
Located just 15 minutes from downtown State College, our 650-acre parcel provides the perfect site for a satellite community that combines productive green space with a thriving neighborhood.
The Farm is a planned community that preserves landscape heritage values such as agriculture and forest, weaving them through residential and civic spaces in an ecological network. Here, instead of being at odds, development and conservation become part of a symbiotic relationship.
