Courtesy ReGen Villages Holding
The first of many ReGen Villages is slated to be built 30 minutes outside Amsterdam
By Miabelle Salzano | Builder
Imagine a neighborhood where landscaping comes in the form of vertical gardens bursting with fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes; where the roads are only wide enough to walk or bike to a friends’s house; where you can volunteer at the local community center in exchange for homeowner association (HOA) fee discounts, tracked using blockchain technology, of course. Silicon Valley–based construction company ReGen Villages has imagined a place like this and, in collaboration with Copenhagen, Denmark–based architecture practice Effekt, is planning to develop the world’s first self-sufficient suburb 30 minute outside of Amsterdam in the Dutch town of Almere.
Inspired by research for the Solar Decathlon from Stanford University as well as a UN sustainability brief from the Stanford Center for Design Research—which was co-authored by ReGen Villages founder James Ehrlich outlining preliminary plans for the villages—the construction firm aims to address the issue of exponential population growth by creating affordable, sustainable housing options, according to its website.
