Sometimes the most effective way to talk about a good idea is to write a story. This book tells the story of Ed Rice, a semi-retired senior town planner who spent 50 years planning the suburban developments of the town of Blandville, the place that could be anywhere. When the judge takes away his drivers license, he discovered what an absolute mess he and his peers created in approving what his critics called suburban sprawl. Unable to get around without a car, he sells his split-level rancher in Blandville Heights, and arranges for a driver to take him to a retirement home fours hours away....

For the last 50 years, we have been building communities for the wrong reason. "How to Build a VillageTown" proposes to turn real estate development upside down, so that people may regain control of their lives, their communities and their future. Instead of building communities to sell cars, "How to Build a VillageTown" proposes people build communities that provide for their needs and aspirations... places to live that are places they love. The idea is not new. Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle wrote that when several villages come together so they may become economically self-supporting, the...

For 10,000 people, this book will be a life-changer. It proposes to call together ordinary (and extraordinary) people who find today's cities, towns and suburbs fail to provide for a good life. If you want change, don't complain; do something. This book shows you how to align your interests to create a VillageTown, a town made of villages that holds the authority and the means to fulfil its promise. The VillageTown is car-free with no commuters. Its foundation is a local, self-supporting, sustainable market-economy. The citizen-owned VillageTown retains hundreds of millions of development...