


Heritage Harbor Ottawa (Ottawa, IL) – features marina-based resort living.Timbers Edge (Northbrook, IL) – is a picturesque neighborhood with plenty of walking paths.Lincoln Park (Chicago, IL) – contains several must-see pocket neighborhoods in the area, such as Ravenswood Gardens, Budlong Woods, Ravenswood Manor, and Bowmanville.Villa District (Chicago, IL) – is considered Chicago’s smallest neighborhood.With fewer neighbors, these communities can better socialize with one another.Ĭhicagoland has several pocket neighborhoods to explore, including: Some pocket neighborhoods have as few as 10 homes, while others may have a few dozen. Common areas and homes within a pocket neighborhood must maintain homeowners’ privacy common areas function best when sections are created for large or small groups to gather, while homes maintain their privacy from common areas through windows, railings, or fences as needed to define personal space. Seating, play structures, fire pits and grills, gardens, and a shed all offer functional usage, with the opportunity to socialize. Ideally, this is a mix of indoor and outdoor features, in a place where you are most likely to encounter your neighbors as part of your day-to-day activities. A common area attracts its resident, giving them a safe and fun atmosphere to gather. With careful planning and input from members of local communities, more of these neighborhoods can be developed. Pocket neighborhoods are recognized as being quiet retreats, where people can connect with their neighbors – something that can be challenging in today’s busy world of work and school. In fact, in many places around the country, people remain on waiting lists! From young singles to retired seniors, there are lots of people who desire pocket neighborhood living. The man credited with the concept of pocket neighborhood designs is architect Ross Chaplin, and developer Jim Soules, whose most noted work was the Langley, Washington-based Third Street Cottages built-in 1996.Īt the 24 th Annual Congress for New Urbanism held earlier this year in Detroit, more than 1,500 individuals gathered to discuss what makes for ideal neighborhoods, and pocket neighborhoods proved to be a recurring topic of discussion of the day, because of their appeal across different segments of the population. In this way, the dwellings – homes, apartments, or condos – share a common area they own collectively, most often a walkway, courtyard, clubhouse, or parking lot for residents to access at any time. One way to do this is through small-scale neighborhoods, known as “pocket neighborhoods” because of their limited size. When deciding to build a community for residents to call home, designers and architects must work together to use sought-after elements to help create the right appeal.
