All Stories on Walkability

  • Why Smart Builders Care About Walkability

    Increasingly, the market is demanding places where homeowners can hoof it. Here are some ways you can deliver.

  • the project had fallen on hard times during the downturn and was rescued by ranquist development.

    Urban Infill

    Homeowners get the feel of a swanky townhouse while living in a vibrant urban neighborhood.

  • Rural and Walkable

    Sales are “substantially higher” in this neighborhood than in non-connected communities.

  • 901 jefferson is close to food shopping, transit, and the offices of oakland city center. it gets a walkscore of 95.

    Lively and Livable Downtown

    901 Jefferson is close to transit, offices, retail, entertainment, and great food shopping.

  • A Connected Community

    At Concord Riverwalk, cars take a back seat to pedestrians.

  • residences are live-work in the traditional sense, with flats above retail.

    Back to the Future

    Nestled at the base of Colorado's Collegiate Peaks, the new homes and shops of South Main mimic the aesthetics and attitude of the...

 

Builder/Developer: NOW Communities LLC, Concord
Architect: Union Studio, Providence, R.I.
Walk Score: 40
Metrostudy Says: This is the only new community within a mile radius of West Concord’s town center--the river is on one side, and town is on the other. A similar home in a non-walkable development would sell for considerably less.
DU/acre: 3
Average sales price: $400 per square foot
Size of units: 1,340 to 1,760 square feet

At Concord Riverwalk, cars take a back seat to pedestrians. The 3.7-acre enclave of 13 net-zero-possible houses invites residents to hoof it, with human-scaled elevations, large front porches that face a common park area, a community garden, and wide gravel footpaths. Cars are tucked in detached garages and parking spaces that are clustered away from the living areas.

The two- and three-bedroom houses, located a pleasant half-mile walk from the shops and services of West Concord’s town center, range in size from 1,340 to 1,760 square feet. Union Studio expanded the initial master plan by pocket neighborhood master Ross Chapin while developing the distinctive look of the individual homes, which stay true to the character of New England cottages.

Residents adore the neighborhood’s old-fashioned vibe and don’t mind carrying groceries from their car to the kitchen, says Union Studio founder Donald Powers. In fact, Riverwalk’s success “suggests there is an alternative market for housing besides single-family housing with an attached garage on its own lot,” he says.