New Ruralism

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New Ruralism Pinal County, Arizona
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Duane Black Chief Operating Officer SunCor
Development Company
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What is New Ruralism?
New Urbanist principles softened and applied in a
rural context, characterized by town densities,
greater open space and a higher level of
preservation of the natural setting
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Characteristics of New Ruralism

• Enhanced sense of safety and enduring quality
  (country living).
• Slower paced lifestyles and abundant open spaces
  that create attractive walking environments.
• New technology, communications and
  transportation options allow people to live more
  remotely while preserving access to urban
  conveniences

• A desire to return to a lifestyle associated
  with and enriched by natural surroundings
• Nurturing, quiet peaceful smaller sized
  communities.
• Clustered development environments in harmony
  with nature.
• Community uses integrated with open space,
  recreation and agriculture.

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• Principles of Community
• Design and New Ruralism
• Environmental Stewardship
• Sense of Place
• Architectural Heritage
• Transportation Linkages
• Product Diversity
• Integrated Land Uses
• Pedestrian Scale
• Neighborhood Crafting

StoneRidge. Prescott Valley, AZ
Coral Canyon. St George, UT
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• Environmental
• Stewardship
• Communities designed to
• respect views
• Preserving steep hillsides
• and drainage
• Habitat conservation

Drainage channel at Coral Canyon
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• Sense of Place
• Clustered neighborhoods to preserve natural
  features
• Public centerpieces create
• neighborhood identity
• Inviting entrance sequence
• and sense of arrival

Sense of place at The Village at Litchfield Park
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• Architectural Heritage
• Use of regional and historical
• architectural features
• Landscape materials
• compatible with climate and
• environment
• Elevations that incorporate
• local building materials

Regional architecture at Hidden Hills
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• Transportation Linkages
• Planning that considers
• future transportation needs
• Convenient access to area
• amenities
• Community-wide trails
• linking neighborhoods and amenities

Bike and pedestrian facilities at Coral Canyon
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• Product Diversity
• Variety of price ranges for
• many income levels
• Wide range of floor plans and lot sizes
• Architecture tailored to
• community character

Land use diversity at The Village at Litchfield
Park
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• Integrated Land Use
• Mixed use near community
• centers with densities that reduce as you move
  outward
• Land use patterns conserving
• scenic resources, topography
• and habitat
• Smaller amounts of similar
• product in each neighborhood

Integrated land use at Coral Canyon
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• Pedestrian Scale
• Walkable distances to
• neighborhood centers
• Pedestrian-friendly land-scaping, streets and
  sidewalks
• Pathway systems

Pedestrian scale at StoneRidge
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• Neighborhood Crafting
• Thematic elements reflect the
• indigenous materials
• Building heights and
• colors relating to the natural landscape
• Park design consistent with
• neighborhood composition

Neighborhood at Rancho Viejo
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Avimor Boise, ID
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Coral Canyon St. George, UT
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StoneRidge Prescott Valley, AZ
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Rancho Viejo Sante Fe, NM
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Rural Development Public Policy considerations

• Keep it simple complexity, excess regulation,
  restrictions and guidelines are not why people
  are attracted to a rural lifestyle.
• Be accommodating Focus more on facilitation
  and guidance and less on regulation and control.
  Many of the best parts of rural communities were
  developed before zoning existed.

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Rural Development Public Policy considerations

• Honor the historical character of the area Be
  more of who you are and less of what new-comers
  think you should be. Preserve the reasons you
  moved or stayed here in the first place.
• Plan ahead Create a vision for what you want
  to become. Communicate the values and principles
  you wish to preserve. Help people know what you
  want before they do their planning.