Pocket Neighborhoods and Missing Middle Housing
The Metro-Atlanta region is in the midst of a housing shortage. Our region’s housing costs have outpaced local incomes. Our neighbors say their communities are full, and for many, homeownership remains impossibly out of reach. We also live in the fourth fastest-growing metro region in the nation. Right now, experts predict nearly 2 million more people will move to Atlanta in the next five to ten years. Where will they go?
Today, the coronavirus pandemic has further destabilized the housing market and made our loneliness epidemic much more acute. A 2018 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that almost 60 million Americans said they often or always felt lonely or socially isolated. One of the defining fallbacks of modern zoning is the unfortunate separation of neighborhoods, the residual effects of decades of de jure segregation, and the way cities currently expand tend to squander precious space and resources.
Housing access is at the core of public health, economic resilience, and social justice. It is at the heart of success and stability for us all. Innovations in micro-living are a key part of addressing these issues to create integrated, vibrant, thriving communities that bring people together.
>> Read More On This: The Nuclear Family Was A Mistake
Naturally Sociable Neighborhood
These are neighborhoods with porches or front stoops on a quiet street. Nodding hello, chatting and hanging out with neighbors and people passing by is effortless. No organizational structure is needed. There is no homeowners association, no dues or fees. No commitments nor responsibilities.
Intentional Neighboring Community
These are for people who choose to be part of a closely-knit intentional neighborhood. Think: cohousing. There is a strong community structure with shared agreements, tools for decision-making, dispute resolution, and community life.
Caring Community
Similar to Intentional Neighboring Communities, but includes residents with extra needs such as foster children, developmentally disabled and elderly residents, along with others who want to live within a caring community. These are embedded within a surrounding walkable neighborhood and are alternatives to concentrated institutional settings for elders and individuals with special needs.
Pocket neighborhoods are somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.
