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Returning to the Traditional American Community… Many of us only dream about the traditional American neighborhood where a sense of community delivers privacy, serenity and less crime. Those who have childhood memories of neighborhoods before World War II most likely remember the quiet streets, the corner grocery store and the overwhelming commitment to each other. What started as a dream has become a reality in the project known as Overlake located just 30 minutes west of Salt Lake City, Utah. It is at Overlake that the traditional American neighborhood is being reborn with modern day additions.
The surrounding land around all of us began to lose its soul as streets were designed to accommodate the automobile instead of building to human scale. The well known saying, "We shape our buildings and then our buildings shape us," by Winston Churchill has become ever so prevalent. As we build further away from city centers seeking the peacefulness of quiet communities we find that most neighborhoods do not meet our expectations and that the original freedom of the automobile has been stifled by gridlock on our highways and byways.
At Overlake people of all ages find the true American dream where streets and sidewalks are designed for the safety of the pedestrian instead of the speed of the automobile and each corner grocery store is designed as the hub of socializing instead of how quickly you can get in and out of the parking lot. Careful planning has gone into each park to utilize the open space in ways that accommodate and keep children safe. Commercial buildings in Overlake are all built as neighborhood buildings instead of highway buildings. They are and will continue to be built in ways that are pleasing to look at, pleasing to walk through and where loitering is a way of life. At the entrance of Overlake is Jack’s Market. Walk in and you step back in time to a corner market with soul. The grill is always cooking homemade sandwiches and the counter is full of those just coming to chat. In addition to acting as the community stopping point, the modern-day conveniences are also available. Stop by to pick up the last minute items for dinner or groceries for the week. Overlake is a project many years in the making. It is the first of its kind in Utah and offers true freedom from urban noise and suburban sprawl. If you don’t believe that the answer to your dream is out there – then you better come see for yourself. |
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After World War II, Americans first experienced the freedom of the automobile. With this freedom, they moved out of roaring cities and settled into suburbs thinking that they were also finding freedom from crime, noise and high rises. As the twentieth century progressed and urban sprawl began taking over American suburban life, a sense of community faded into strip malls, conglomerate grocery chains and large stretches of streetscapes and freeways.
Although many of our neighborhoods do not offer a quiet, livable place where neighbors help each other and members of the community stop to chat at the corner park, it seems we are all still searching. Overlake is made up of years of seeking and a personal need to find the true freedom of a well-knit community. Drew Hall based his dream on his home community of Carnation, Washington, where he learned the overwhelming advantages of growing up in a safe environment. He began his search for other communities like the one he knew and traveled throughout America looking for areas that could live up to the standard of his dreams. In the end, he only found pieces of his ideal location in many different areas and took Overlake to the drawing boards.