One of the goals of the Transhuman House is to study how people deal with living in small homes. The type you might see in a high-density high-tech project such as the New Vistas Communities, in part sponsored by Hall Labs. At the Transhuman House, we are asking guests to fill out a study form about their experience and we hope to collect the data over time to better understand the dynamics of these kinds of living environments.
In terms of models, New Vistas in particular “is a cluster of fifty similarly designed communities. Each 2.88 square mile community is design based on a pattern and community governance guidelines, which has only been partially implemented in a few U.S. municipalities. Each community is adjacent to each other in order to create a larger, more complete, human settlement and a broader, more diversified, economy. Each has a population of fifteen to twenty thousand people. When 50 or more communities are linked, a truly self-sustaining economy can result. All elements of the NewVistas model are designed to encourage prosperous and sustainable low impact living in harmony with the environment.” [1]
With the study at the Transhuman House, we are hoping to get a better understanding of the dynamics of these sorts of frameworks at a micro level.
[1] Hall, D.; “The Model” – New Vistas Foundation – http://www.newvistasfoundation.org/sites/NEWVISTAS%20MODEL/The%20Pattern