ABSTRACT
Communities are spaces that can embody our expressions of social relationships. The late twentieth century has produced a plethora of discussion about community and environmental sustainability in the United States. Various social transformations have resulted in a resurgence of a search for "community" and have produced a multiplicity of new forms of rural and urban planning and architecture. This chapter explores how EVI merges the goals of creating a sense of community and environmentalism through the choice, design, and designation of particular places and spaces for specific community or environmental functions. The intentional physical design of the community includes closely clustered houses, inwardly facing windows to see neighbors, and landscaped gardens, and these features drew families to join the community. The architecture of EVI neighborhoods is designed to create a sense of community. Access to wealth or income is essential for living in EVI, although few people would readily admit to having significant financial resources.
