5 Conventional Suburban Sprawl— The experience we have going to and from our daily activities greatly affects our state of mind. Many times, we tolerate long commutes, not because we want to, but because we don’t think we have any other option. U n i v e r s a l T h e m e s o f G o o d D e s i g n 4 Less Is More Do less, but do it really well. Use Common Sense From the design of the street to the size of shutters on a window, if it makes sense, it will be more valuable. Design Matters Good design adds value both to an individual building and to a community as a whole. Everything Relates These universal principles apply to all ends of the design spectrum. T h i s B o o k I s B a s e d o n F O U R A s s u m p t i o n s : 1 We All Want to Live in a Nice Place Each of us may define this differently, but we are all unified by the desire. 2 We Understand That Our Choices Can Matter We can make choices that create better lifestyles, relationships and environments. 3 We See What Is Happening to the Planet We are learning to care more about the environment and the impact we as humans have on the earth. This affects each of us to a different degree, but it is something that we are finding harder and harder to ignore. 4 Realities of Daily Life Often Force Us to Ignore Items 1, 2 and 3 As much as we may care about these issues, when it comes down to living our daily lives, we often put aside what we want and desire, and settle for what we feel we can tolerate. Unless you live in a cabin in the woods, the built environment directly affects your life. It determines the experience you have going to and from work, how much your home is worth, and even your health. The building industry impacts our lives with every new development. Yet, despite its influence on us, it often seems that we as individuals have very little effect on what gets built and how. P owe r o f D e s i g n

When purchasing or building a new house, we focus intently on the selection of the granite for our counters or the latest plasma TV, but don’t consider what goes on outside our front door. We treat the space between our garage door and the parking lot at work as something that we travel through, not something for living in. But new trends in the building industry are showing that people want to see the big picture and stay connected. We want to live in communities, not just subdivisions. We want to be able to walk to some of our daily needs, in places that look nice, and we’re willing to pay...