"Crap, honey, I forgot which house was ours again"
So there's this development in St. Charles, MO, a large suburb of St. Louis called New Town. A few of my friends live in Hazelwood and Florissant, which are quite close by.
"However, the family envisioned more … they wanted to build a way of life – neighborhoods complete with fabulous on-site amenities that families could use, enjoy and make a part of their daily routine."
"And in 2004, Greg Whittaker, president of Whittaker Homes, decided to take this sense of community one step further with New Town at St. Charles. This traditional town is designed to accommodate a wide range of homes and businesses alike. New Town combines old with new, ultimately creating a town reminiscent of the past where children can ride their bikes to the general store and residents can walk to the local coffee shop. At New Town, the garages are in the back, streets are conducive to walking and biking, and people can live, work and play within the comfort of their own neighborhood."
So, basically, instead of trusting a community to build itself organically, New Town is a development that takes all that relationship-building into its own hands. Pre-fab life, pre-fab neighborhood. Creepy.
take a look at the houses (here)
It's like pleasantville except worse because it isn't the 50's. Is this happening all over the nation?
ReplyDeleteYeah, nice try Whittaker. It already exists as St. Albans.
ReplyDeleteMarta, I agree with your 'creepy' word to describe this place. I've been to this 'new town' establishment and I don't like it - not one bit! It looks so fake and you and I know that nothing is really that perfect. Life is messy and by making things look nice on the outside won't change the inside. I will not be moving there any time soon!
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