Lincoln Harris and his wife spent four years “neighborhood-stalking.” They looked at old neighborhoods, new neighborhoods, “every kind of neighborhood.” They chose Walden as their home because it’s “Williamsburg in central Pennsylvania.”
“The colors, the palette, the way the people walk and talk to each other,” says Harris. “I dare you to drive through here at night and not see five neighbors who wave at you.”
With development of Walden in Silver Spring Township, near Mechanicsburg in Cumberland County, Charter Homes & Neighborhoods (www.charterhomes.com) is at the forefront of “new urbanism” in community building. Design inspires neighborly interaction. Businesses are integral to daily life. Streets are inviting.
Charter Homes President Rob Bowman says that his design team sat down to ask, “What is it about places that make them memorable?” They blended the lost art of “creating cool places” with modern planning and heritage architecture.
“What it comes down to is character,” Bowman says.
“People really value character. They want to see things that are not all the same. They want to see things that are one of a kind, and as unique and special as they are.”
In Walden’s homes, timeless design features include built-in bookcases and generous baseboards. Lines of sight extend from all angles. Natural light floods spaces that are open and versatile.
“The wall doesn’t have to define function,” says Bowman. “The space defines function.”
Architectural styles differ among the mix of single-family houses, townhomes and upper-level lofts (more on that in a minute). Streets are lined with young trees, preparing for their moment as green canopies sheltering residents and guests.
“Street trees are number one,” says Bowman. “If we don’t plant trees, nobody’s going to get together and say, ‘Let’s line the street with trees.’”
A visit to Walden begins at Walden Crossroads, where the entrance tower seems uprooted from an old-time town square. Businesses and services line the street or are nearby, village-style, including a salon, athletic club, Pilates studio, restaurant and child care center. In the buildings’ second and third stories are homes—so popular that the 72 units sold out quickly. They overlook alleys and even Pennsylvania’s first new cobblestone street in 150 years.
Walden’s playground isn’t spiked with primary-colored jungle gyms but is, Bowman claims, the nation’s first “terrapark”—40,000 yards of earth and tons of rock sculpted into trails, slides and climbing walls. A nine-acre village green will host summer concerts, holiday tree lightings and just plain, everyday dog walking.
“I can take a big vacation, but if I have 15 minutes, what can I do at home that will just break my mood?” asks Bowman. “Can I walk the dog? Can I play with my kids? Can I go visit a neighbor? Can I walk down the street and get a cup of coffee? What can I do that will make me feel like I had a special day?”
Municipalities must buy into new urbanism, swapping rigid zoning for adaptable use, says Bowman. Silver Spring Township Supervisor Mary Lou Pierce McLain was a convert as soon as she heard Bowman mention alleys.
“I said, ‘Rob, where I grew up, we had alleys,’” McClain recalls over lunch with a friend at Sophia’s at Walden, the restaurant recruited for its fit with the Walden philosophy. “It’s like the way we grew up, in small villages where you can walk everywhere.”
Charter Homes doesn’t expect all new developments to copy its example. Bowman would simply like a discussion on “respect of place.”
“How about we think about what we’re doing a little bit more? How about we think about why things look the way they do, and why everyone complains about it, and how we might be able to change it?” he says. “With a couple of great examples, if we can contribute to that conversation, that’s our obligation and opportunity.”