6. The Proximity Circle - A Great Lesson from Mykonos

Finding protection in a village setting meant that living units had to be built in close proximity to each other. The term “village” simply denotes a collection of villas, whereas the term “urban village” means that the spaces for all the other functions necessary for communal living are included and provided for. The denser the fabric of the buildings that make up a village, the closer the available functions that can be placed are within an easy walking distance from home. People love walking short distances. Think about the after dinner stroll looking into shop windows, or a promenade on the town pier or village green.

World famous Mykonos, in Greece where everything is within walking distance. The most cosmopolitan of all Greek islands, it attracts so many visitors from all over the globe, including large numbers of artists and intellectuals.

The proximity circle is so simple and yet so important and oh so easy to be overlooked!
All the benefits of living in a true urban village is based on the close proximity of working, eating, buying, selling, playing, schooling and assembly or meeting spaces to your home.

Successful villages do not break the proximity circle by leaving out even one of the above components. Henry Ford simply did not understand or even care that his wonderful invention would enable the wide-spread destruction of the true urban village as a building block of our civilization. Destruction of the proximity circle has resulted in isolation and loneliness for millions of people who are trapped in city suburbs. We were born with legs and not with wheels. Walking always was and should still be the measure of proximity and the way to build what people love..The easy walk and not the easy drive is the golden rule!

My painting called "View of Mykonos".
See others at http://arnogallery.com/

My painting "Mykonos Flower Seller"

My painting "Mykonos Fisherman"

A Great Lesson from Mykonos (and of all true villages)
The easy walk and not the easy drive is the golden rule!Publish Post
Place every facility within a short and easy walking distance from home.