ROUGHLY LOCATE ONE ACRE

A semi-dense group of houses, 8-15, are to be placed in a portion of a finger, which has direct contact with grass land or agricultural land on either side. The area for the house-group should be about an acre, or a little more, actually 4000N square feet, where N is the number of houses.

NEXT TO THE FIRST ACRE, ROUGHLY LOCATE ANOTHER ONE ACRE OF OPEN LAND

This is the "equal area" portion of open land, associated with each area of houses. It does not in any sense "belong" to this group of houses, although it might be apposite for it to fall under their stewardship, or cultivation. That question remains open. But in any case, there must be a dedicated portion of open land, which ill be either preserved as nature or park, or used for agrculture, next to ever house group. It will usually be a portion of a much larger continuous piece of open land, not merely as one acre postage stamp. The area of this dedicated open land should again be about 4000N square feet, where N is the number of houses in the house group.

IDENTIFY TREES AND BUSHES AND NATURAL BEAUTIES WHICH ARE TO BE PROTECTED

All places which are precious and must be kept or enhanced, within the two acres, are to be identified.

LOCATE MAIN COMMON CENTER

The house group is to be given its natural center. This is the most beautiful spot within the one acre, a spot which is commanding, which naturally draws people towards it. It is the place which everyone agrees is the most natural spot that they want to gravitate towards, and view as "their" center. If there are beautiful trees on the site, it may be associated with these trees. Or it may be a place which has a specially nice view: or water, or a rise, or anything that draws you to it.

This place is to be embellished, preserved, and enhanced so that it stays with its present feeling, and forms a focus for the families in this house group.

PLACE A CENTRAL BRICK PATH DOWN THE MIDDLE

This brick path is driveable, but it is relatively narrow, made essentially for walking, and parking places are on permeable gravel on either side.

START PLACING 2 STORY BUILDING VOLUMES ALONG THE CENTRAL PATH

Sites of buildings that will be demolished are natural places for construction—since already damaged as far as nature is concerned.

FIND OUT HOW MANY FAMILIES WANT LOCATIONS ALONG THE PATH, AND HOW MANY (IF ANY) MIGHT WANT TO BE IN A HOUSE WITH AN APARTMENT

FIND A NATURAL SPOT TO MAKE A GARDEN FOR EACH OF THESE HOUSES

Find natural places adjacent to each house, where beautiful buildings, or spots of special natural beauty, view, vegetation.

LOCATE NATURAL WATERCOURSES

PLACE ONE OR TWO NARROW BRICK LANES ON EACH SIDE, LEADING DOWN TO THE FIELDS

Find all natural beauties. Mark them. Include them either in a garden lot, or in a small pedestrian path. Draw each garden lot about 50 feet by 50 around each one. Some can be smaler. Some can be larger.

PLACE BUILDABLE HOUSE POSITIONS OFF THESE NARROW PATHS, AS NATURAL VOLUMES AND CENTERS

Adjacent to each garden lot, make a house lot. This is also a roughly square parcel.

PLACE SMALL SCALE LANES AS CENTERS

Adjacent to each house make a small pedestrian lane. It can be as narrow as 6-8 feet; others can be up to 15 feet wide (this type will later allow a parked car to stand there).

CHECK FOR PARKING PLACES

CHECK FOR MOST IMPORTANT VIEWS AND VIEW CORRIDORS

Preserve them as visible from the common land and from the main street.

BUILD A PLINTH FOR EACH HOUSE

In order to make the layout of the house group fully visualizable, from the beginning, and to make its emotional impact real, so that subsequent construction operations will rteinforce it, we now build a plinth for each house, on the position staked out. When that is done, we can see, and feel the presence of all the houses, even though they aren't built yet. At that point, the house group is ready to roll.