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For the past 40 years,
car-oriented, stand-alone subdivision sprawl has dominated the
American landscape. In these placeless
subdivisions, we live isolated in look-a-like houses that might
as well be anywhere. They can be located only by their relationship
to roads, which have almost entirely replaced town centers and
market places as our primary public spaces. Living in suburbia,
we are disconnected from the landscape and from other people.
Much of our time is squandered in our cars where there is scarce
opportunity to interact with others. When we return home, we drive
directly into our garages and step immediately into our houses.
We also knew that for
Fairview Village to succeed as a community, it would have to break
the current mold of disjointed urban development.
We knew it would have to be different, but not entirely removed
from accepted models of livability. We looked to the past to show
us how best to approach the future, Because Fairview Village
is an expansion of an existing community, we knew that we needed
to engage the public and key decision makers in creating a consensus-based
Village plan. More than 75 stakeholders
participated in our three-day design workshop, a "charrette",
conducted by Bill Lennertz, that produced a regulating plan, zoning
code, and architectural guidelines. We moved away from the traditional
approach of putting up solitary structures on individual lots
and concentrated instead on building a cohesive community.
Two major bus lines serve the Village with easy access to downtown Gresham and a direct link to the regional light rail system. The inclusion of office space in the Village will make working at home an option, freeing them from the burden of long commutes. Most Village residents will own cars, although one could live here without one. Fairview Village is about having the freedom to make these choices -- choices that are not available to persons living in suburbia.
In much of suburbia, we have all but lost what has been called the "quintessential urban pleasure" -- to walk along the streets of our neighborhoods and meet other people. Public spaces at Fairview Village -- including the streets, parks, and squares -- are designed to be the focus for the conduct of daily living. Throughout the Village, the street and sidewalk design is intended to foster "low-tech interactions," where residents stroll after dinner and stop to chat with neighbors. The ritual of watching other people, being watched, and chatting is the core of the social promenade or "passeggiata," as it's called in Italy. This tradition of the evening stroll -- that is a part of daily life in many parts of the world -- thrives in Fairview!
For nearly two centuries, American cities built beautiful public buildings. This country has a long legacy of city halls, post offices, libraries, and schools that exhibit craftsmanship, composition, and drama. But, during the decades following World War II, we seemed to forget everything we knew about building fine civic architecture. Fairview Village revives the tradition of great public buildings.
The city's commitment to move their city hall to the center of the Village was a critical piece of the public/private partnership that made Fairview Village possible. Fairview City Hall celebrates the idea of governance. The council room is lit during evening sessions so citizens see Fairview's “elders” at work. The line of clerestory windows is designed to radiate light like a beacon on a lighthouse. The overall Village design -- emphasizing a diverse mix of land uses within walking range of each other, smaller lot sizes, along with public gathering spots, strong civic buildings, and all interconnected by a comprehensive street and walkway system -- features many ingredients of the so-called "traditional neighborhood development" or new urbanism. In fact, some of the primary planners and architects involved in designing the Village -- including one of Fairview's town architects, William Dennis and town planner, Bill Lennertz, both worked for the founders of the New Urbanist town planning movement -- the husband and wife team of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. However, when we first
conceptualized Fairview Village, our goal was not to create a
neotraditional town. Our plan was to
create a good place to live, imbued
by a common value system that came before us, and that will last
beyond us. We aimed to create a place that we recognize as home.
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Rarely
do we set foot on the sidewalks where we might greet neighbors,
exchange news, and connect with the larger community. This failure
to connect with the larger world -- this lack of community --
is one of the great deficiencies of suburban living. Fairview
Village seeks to remedy this deficiency. To do this, we the development
team, knew we had to change the zoning. Suburban zoning segregates
retail and office space from residences, requiring people to get
in their cars whenever they need anything. By contrast, the Village
multi-use zoning allows a mix of retail, business, and residential
activity so it's easier for people to walk or bike to local shops,
amenities, and offices. As a result, fuel is conserved, air pollution
reduced, and, as they travel the streets, people regularly encounter
their neighbors, building the sense of security that comes with
knowing the people who live around them. 
seeking
to capitalize on the strengths of self-sufficient small towns,
and to avoid the mistakes of post-World War II suburban sprawl.
For inspiration, we looked at notable historic garden suburbs
-- Mariemont in Cincinnati, Shaker Heights in Cleveland, and Country
Club District in Kansas City -- famous for blending residences
with neighborhood shops. We also looked to established Portland
neighborhoods such as Eastmoreland and Ladd's Addition, where
mainstreet shops wrap around residential blocks, and where real
estate values have zoomed well beyond the general marketplace.
Fairview's
integrated, multi-use design blends shops and neighborhood services:
