Recommended Resource
Pocket Neighborhoods
Pocket Neighborhoods are the inspiration of architect Ross Chapin and his colleagues. Asheville, NC has built an entire network of such neighborhoods. While there does not appear to be a directory of pocket neighborhoods, a quick search reveals them all across the United States.
See also:
- Overview of Pocket Neighborhoods on YouTube by Active Towns (8 minutes)
- Foundation for Intentional Community
- Cohousing.org
In Their Words…
Pocket neighborhoods are clustered groups of neighboring houses or apartments gathered around a shared open space — a garden courtyard, a pedestrian street, a series of joined backyards, or a reclaimed alley — all of which have a clear sense of territory and shared stewardship. They can be in urban, suburban or rural areas.
A pocket neighborhood is not the wider neighborhood of several hundred households and network of streets, but a realm of a dozen or so neighbors who interact on a daily basis around a shared garden, quiet street or alley — a kind of secluded neighborhood within a neighborhood.