One of the the most amazing things about traveling is when you come to know about local communities and cultures who are living differently. Breaking the mould and walking the talk. One such experience was all the way in Gilbert, Arizona. One of the stops was at the Agritopia® community. It is a modern-village or sorts which is set within the urban fabric of the Phoenix metro area.
The name itself sparks curiosity: Agritopia®. The theme behind this community is preserving urban agriculture. In their own words, " It is a principle-driven development that puts people and relationships ahead of money and trendiness." The community is comprised of 450 residential lots along with commercial, agricultural, and open space tracts.
In 1960, Jim Johnston and his wife, Virginia bought the farm. Their vision for the farm was an ideal place to farm and to raise their three boys, Joe, Steve, and Paul. They built a home on the farm (which is now Joe's Farm Grill. Picture below ) and lived a very rural, independent life. In the late 1990's, when Gilbert started to grow, the Johnston family made the decision to wider their vision for the farm. Their eldest son, Joe who had now become an engineer, spearheaded the design of Agritopia®. Working with a land planner, landscape architects, and others in the development community, a land plan that met the family's goals was created. It preserved urban agriculture, was very walkable, neighborly, broke down barriers between people, and had many use categories. In 2000, after the approval from the Town of Gilbert, construction of Agritopia® began.
Today, Agritopia® is an all functional community with a farm, small businesses (such as winery, florist, salon, and more), residential are - all in all a complete micro-city. Agritopia® is gridded with tree-lined streets and looks like a charming little community. And of course, all these years later, the Johnston family still lives in Agritopia®.
All opinions mentioned are my own.
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