DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Livable Communities
Imagine a lively, attractive neighborhood where you can walk or bike to shops, restaurants, health care and other essential services…and where the community and its homes are designed to accommodate all, regardless of age, physical ability or health. Such are the essential elements of the “livable communities” that Fifth Avenue Communities is developing – plus they include fitness centers, onsite restaurants, and gathering centers which encourage all residents to get together for community events, meetings or impromptu socializing. Simply stated, all residents enjoy a real sense of belonging to their community.
If you’re thinking that any place where people choose to live is “livable,” you’re right. The term “livable community” is new, though the concept is centuries old. Throughout the ages, and in most parts of the world, people lived where they could walk from one activity to the other. Prior to World War II, most Americans lived this way, in close-knit neighborhoods with a butcher shop and a bakery below or just down the street. After the war, suburbs sprung up all over the country and people became dependent on automobiles to get to work, school, and the grocery store.
Today, these close-knit communities, now called “livable communities,” are making a come-back across the nation. They’re mixing housing with essential services so that residents can walk, bike or use public transportation, rather than drive, to obtain the things they need. This in turn reduces carbon emissions, saves money on fuel and maintenance – and even promotes healthier lifestyles.
In fact, Savannah, Georgia - like many cities across the U.S. - recently participated in a campaign called “Dump the Pump,” which encourages people to reduce their dependence on their automobiles by walking, bicycling or using the city’s excellent public transit system.
403 South Fifth Avenue Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 (734) 761-8990
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