Can Asheville really be a sustainable community?

I have been thinking about the way development in Asheville North Carolina is headed. Many times people build without any consideration of future needs or possibilities. Some construct a home 50 miles from a grocery store, add a few gadgets, and think they are "Green" or Sustainable. Community needs to be a priority when it comes to the decisions we make. Even more in this new technology age, a good neighbor is of high value.

While taking to Randy Bassham from MyMPAC.com the other day, he talked about this "Greenway to the Future" that would connect North Asheville all the way to Flat Creek in Weaverville. As we drove around and toured the streets; walkability, outdoor life, and health were some of the main topics. We are lucky to have vehicles, but being able to take a bike ride or walk safely on your side of town is necessary. Social media in person could be so much more effective if joggers had a stretch of a few miles to tour. Health would improve and obesity would be tackled as more children walked the neighborhood.



I was recently on Stumble Upon and they had a video about making walking fun on an area coming out of a subway station. They wanted to see if people would use the steps instead of the escalator if the steps made music when you walked on them. See the video here:



An Architect in Asheville named Daryl Rantis is all about building a green, sustainble community. As development progresses with no view of the big picture, Daryl's vision for an interconnecting Asheville neighborhood dims. With the communities Rantis Architects draws and build, Urban Planning is always in mind. Development without people connected is not a true community project. Maybe our vision will improve if we start listening. You can see some of the community and neighborhood artwork of Rantis below:



*Please comment below and let us know what your view on this is. Thanks.

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