Giving Communal Housing A Shot

Their idea is to build 32 small houses on a six-acre plot, and orienting each of the houses on either side of a single road, with porches facing in.

"A community house will offer shared meeting and social spaces for things like birthday parties. It could also include shared guest rooms and office space on a second floor (the first few buyers will decide the details). A central garden and a car-sharing program would give neighbors further reasons to interact.

Lead developer Ben Kaufman of GreenWorks Realty says the inspiration came almost 20 years ago, while meditating at an ancient temple site in Hawaii. 'I had a big shift at a young age in discovering that the good life isn't about money and fancy cars,' he told me. 'It's about relationships with people and with nature.'"