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. He has no choice as he resigns
himself to an empty future where he will have little to do other
than keep himself comfortably busy while he waits for death to take
him. As his driver transports him one last time along the wide
boulevards of Blandville, Ed explains to his driver the hollowness
of what he helped build since the 1950's a place built not to serve
its citizens, but to sell more cars. Finally, worn out as they pull
onto the freeway, he drifts off to sleep. He awakes when his driver
stops for lunch at a VillageTown; a 10,000 population community
where everything its citizens need for daily life is within a
ten-minute walk. The Visitor's Bureau invites him and his driver to
take a tour of a most remarkable place, socially and culturally
enriched, with a thriving local economy. It is a town made of 20
villages, side by side, each village different that the next, so it
feels more like traveling from one country to another. His hosts
explain that a VillageTown provides for what the ancients called
The Good Life. When several villages come together so they may be
self-supporting or nearly so, the purpose of their continued
existence is to provide for the Good Life, understood as the
pursuits of conviviality, citizenship, artistic & intellectual
growth, and spiritual development and fulfillment. Ed's tour guide,
a young exchange student in the VillageTown hosted university
year-abroad program escorts him from one village to another,
introducing him to its citizens, each of whom tells their story of
their life in their village. Most of the stories are real, and some
of those who speak to Ed use their own words. Called cameos, these
people include former Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall,
Corporate Anthropologist Michael Henderson, Biologist Elisabet
Sahtouris and Director of Doing Richard Hollingum. Other cameos by
Professor John Bremer, and Slovenian Ambassador of Culture Miha
Pogacnic are written by the author, but approved by the speakers.
The author and many of the cameo speakers are part of a group
called the Village Forum, dedicated to turning a good idea into
real VillageTowns built around the world. It's an idea worth
spreading; it's an idea worth doing. The book has been written for
two reasons. 1) To explain the idea in an easy-to-read way that
invites people to build their village. 2) To raise funds to build
VillageTowns. All profits earned from the book sales goes to
building VillageTowns. The author will collect no royalties and the
publisher no fees. If, after reading the book, you like the idea,
go to www.villageforum.com to learn more. If you think you would
you like to live in a VillageTown the forum is where to express
interest. Also check out two other books written by Claude Lewenz.
How to Build a Village is a 256 page book with over 400 color
photographs that provides detailed patterns of what works and why.
VillageTowns - the Next Step is a recent book written because
projects are now underway in four countries.
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