Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-04-20)

nonprofitthatprovidesinformationandsupporttomanyof

theseexperimentaltowns.“Therearecurrently 753 inten-

tionalcommunitiesintheU.S.listedinourdirectory,”wrote

CynthiaTina,theorganization’scommunicationsdirector,in

anemail.“Ofcourse,thetotalnumberis probablyhigher.”

Manyofthemoreambitiousprojectsaren’tlistedbecause,

likeSerenbe,they’drathernotdefinethemselvesasinten-

tionalcommunitiesasit soundshippie-ish. That includes

Powder Mountain in Utah, which is being developed by the

invite-only entrepreneur network Summit Series LLC, and

Salmon Creek Farm in Mendocino County, Calif., a 1970s com-

mune being reimagined as a progressive arts colony by Los

Angeles-based artist Fritz Haeg.

According to Tina, the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in

a “huge surge” in interest. “Many of these communities are

self-contained and self-reliant,” she says. “They grow their own

food, produce their own renewable energy,” and offer a col-

laborative approach to “emotional support and child care.”

Eco-enclaves tend to be small (up to a few hundred res-

idents), focus on conservation,andfollowsustainable

building practices.

Generally, they’re

found in idyllic areas

outside major cities

to maximize access to

nature, urban conve-

niences, and interna-

tional airports. They

draw not only baby

boomer retirees but

affluent professionals

of all ages—the prox-

imity to city centers

means that workers

are within commuting

distance. With all those

amenities,sellinghomesfor

morethan$500,000isrela-

tivelyeasy.

WhileinSerenbe’sMado

hamlet,I grabcoffee with

Heath Daughtrey, a successful 53-year-oldhedgefundmanager

who moved his family here in 2013.“WhenI livedinNewYork

City, everything had to be planned,”hesays.“Hereyoujust

stumble into friends and end uponsomeone’sporchdrink-

ing wine while the kids play in theyard.”

“The design of where you liveaffectsyourhealth,”says

Joanna Frank, founder of theNewYork-basedCenterfor

Active Design, which has fundedandcollecteda wealthof

research on how designed environmentsaffecthealthfrom

institutions such as New York UniversityandtheUniversity

ofCaliforniaatBerkeley.“YourZIPcodehasbecomea better

indicatorofwell-beingthanyourgeneticcode.”

Buttherearemanyreasonsinadditiontowellnessfor

imaginativeeco-enclaves to sproutupnotonlyintheU.S.

but around the world. In Balithere’stheGreenVillage,a

dozen extravagantly designedbamboohomesoverlooking

the Ayung River, which were builtbyEloraHardyandher

design company Ibuku beginningin2008.Mostofitsresi-

dents came initially for a progressiveK-12schoolfounded

byElora’s father, the famous jewelerJohnHardy,andhis

61

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANCISCO NOGUEIRA (MELIDES), J. ASHLEY PHOTOGRAPHY (SERENBE)

Melides Art,

Melides,

Portugal

Forsale:$2.2million

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms:4.5

A villaon4 acresfeatures

a personallappool,indoor

andoutdoorfireplaces,

andanopenchef’skitchen.

Thereis alsosharedaccess

towoodlandsanda private

beachentrance.

Serenbe,

Chattahoochee

Hills, Ga.

ForSale:$769,000

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms:2.5

ThispropertyintheSwann

Ridgehamlethasa privatecourtyardwith

a screened-inporch,anopenkitchen

withlimestonecountertops,

anda mastersuitewitha fireplace.