What I've noticed happening a lot near me are the introduction of condominiums that all surround a common shopping area. There are some that have some nice restaurants and even a small co-operative grocery store at their center. But they are built in a way that I know will not age well. Meaning that they seem all sparkly and new but the materials don't seem all that nice and the trendy businesses that go in these areas also seem subject to an early expiration date. Things like designer frozen yogurt or gourmet pizza by the slice with toppings like calamari and hearts of palm. -Nothing against either of those things, but I can just see the writing on the wall for these places. But I mention them because they seem to try and incorporate the green space, the fountain at the heart of their construction etc. They're trying really hard to force a community together in a way that seems really contrived.

We moved in to a new home a week ago and today the woman across the street greeted me in my drive as I came home with a freshly baked banana bread with an index card with their phone number and all of their names. That's the stuff that makes a community, maybe sometime we can get a baby-sitter and go out to dinner with her and her husband. There is this great new pizza place coming down the street that has calamari and hearts of palm as toppings :)