At the very heart of our “unsustainable” society is the built environment. Aspects of green building such as building materials and energy are beginning to receive the attention they deserve. But what about the actual layout of our neighborhoods, our communities? This is something the average person may overlook because alone we are powerless to change it. As a society, however, urban planning is an issue we do control. Developers continue to build car-required/walking-optional subdivisions of cookie cutter McMansions because people will buy them. Shouldn’t we demand, and legally require, something better? Something more livable?

There are, of course, tons of examples of developers doing their part, building LEED certified or just generally sustainable projects—residential, commercial, and mixed use—across the United States. One mixed-use project stands out as the first in North America (and fourth in the world) to be endorsed by One Planet Communities.

Codding Enterprises’ Sonoma Mountain Village (SMV), located about 1 hour north of San Francisco in Rohnert Park, California. SMV will be built on a 200 acre abandoned industrial site. Some existing buildings will be reused to help create a community with 1,900 homes and 4,400 jobs.

Built around an urban village square, SMV is based on what Codding calls a “5-Minute Lifestyle:” you’ll be able to access everything the community has to offer by foot within 5 minutes. SMV should resemble an upscale suburb far more than a commune: along with a vibrant downtown surrounding the village square, 900 apartments/condos and 1,000 single-family homes are expected to be available starting in 2009—ranging in price from $300,000 to $3 million. This “something for every income level” pricing is meant to create a work/live community with the variety of job opportunities to match the variety of homes. According to Codding, “planned amenities include a One Planet Living Center, Community Civic Center, over 25 acres of parks, miles of trails for walking and bicycling, dog parks, an international all-weather soccer field, fitness center, electric vehicle charging stations, and both bicycle- and car-sharing programs” to go along with retail locations, restaurants, and offices for high-tech firms.

As part of renowned British environmental organization BioRegional’s One Planet Living initiative, SMV aims to reduce the ecological footprint of residents to a one-plant level: using only the share of the earth’s resources at which every person on the planet could be sustained. Along with the SMV project, BioRegional is supporting several municipalities and real estate developers to reach the one-planet goal—a goal we will have to meet in the long-run. I’ll be following up with the stories of some other One Planet Communities along with any news about how SMV progresses and how the project is fairing in these treacherous market conditions.