Building Affordable, Sustainable Communities
The development of the Negev Desert is an historic dream and opportunity for the State of Israel. At no time since 1967 is the country faced with the opportunity and challenge to once again expand the population into an undeveloped region. The global focus that will be placed on this effort demands that the expansion is undertaken with social, economic, and environmental sensitivity. The expansion requires the commitment and planning of individuals and professionals who have both a perspective on the historic significance of the development and the understanding of the environmental sensitivity required to successfully put in place a national symbol. The installation of affordable, sustainable communities represents the solution that meets these unique needs. REAL Housing is committed to be part of this historic development.
The development of any successful city is based on the success of the individual neighborhoods or communities. The social support fabric that is created within the community is essential to the long-term cooperation that is required for a community to succeed. The community concept is realized through the development of clusters comprised of 10 homes that are built in a single planned location. The variety of opprotunities within each community cluster include the use of water recycling packages that are shared within the modules, shared solar energy packages that enable the cluster to leverage the electricity generation, and pre-engineered site elements such as sidewalks and roads that meet the needs of the cluster.
Building on the community concept, the needs of the greater community are met through commercial and social services that are allocated on a modular basis. For example, a group of five housing communities may require a commercial module that includes shopping facilities and a community park that encourages socialization and community building. Additional elements such as schools, light-industrial complexes, and heavy infrastructure are designed to support a pre-determined number of community clusters. In this manner, an entire city can be developed based on a foundational element of affordable and sustainable housing with modular elements that support the individual neighborhoods in a planned and sustainable fashion.
The concept of sustainable communities also can build on the foundations of communal development, co-housing, and new urbanism, bringing families together into small units that promote commitment to the community and a joint focus on long-term success. Through these individual communities, families develop a sense of “place” and a feeling of joint commitment toward the success of the overall venture. When combined through multiple communities in a single town, the social fabric is developed into a sense of identity and commitment that is absent in a traditional neighborhood development.