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The Community Design Polymath

As the Information Age income explosion and ‘live anywhere’ capability emerge, people will begin to consider whether a traditional urban setting is most facilitative for their values and lifestyle preferences. For many, a comprehensively designed and culturally friendly community will be a superior choice. We emphasize the concept of comprehensive community design. By this we mean that not only will the physical and architectural structure be tailored to the resident but also, commercial, economic, retail and public spaces, cultural, public and educational servuces, etc. will be carefully blended to create a sense of proper place. In order to be the primary visionary who drives the design and implementation of the community to its completeion, a person must be an analytical and creative Polymath of the first order. Reward will be commensurate with the required qualifications.

The movement toward values and lifestyle based communities has already begun. We are all familiar with gated golf communities. However, there has been an explosion of what are typically referred to as eco-villages or green villages. CoHousing, while of limited implementation, has provided microcommunities of highly specialized values since the 1970’s. Equestrian communities are beginning to become significant. Ex-pat beach communities are springing up all over the Caribbean. There are even a few residential cruise ships. These represent the very first glimmer of what will become a tidal wave of demographic change over the next twenty years. The ‘live anywhere’ option facilitated by Internet mediated economic activities along with the culturally coalescence that an audio-visual Internet provides will be the primary mover.

The Venus Project is planning a ‘Test City’ to demonstrate the feasibility of a radically different socio-economic and political structure. It may be the first significant attempt to construct the physical portion of the Information Age civilization. It will certainly not be the last. We are confident that the concept of Polymathica Test Villages will be explored and ultimately implemented. There is a reasonable question of the appropriate size of such test cities or villages.

In A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander, et al, asserts that the optimal community size is 7,000. There actually is scant cited support for the claim and little research has been undertaken since. A 1990 study suggests that an urban ‘catch basin’ of more than 50K is an important characteristic. We have researched the issue thoroughly, considering economic development, community services, social diversity, educational services, etc. and concluded that if human aggregations were designed to optimize efficiency and life satisfaction, they would be constructed as relatively large networks of smaller, mostly autonomous villages with populations between 7,000 and 60,000, with an optimum between 20,000 and 40,000.

The optimum population is determined through a series of analyses, such as what population is required to support a full service grocery store (15K – 20K) to minimum population required to populate a broad services K-12 school system (~20K), the population requred to support a full service medical clinic, (20K – 30K), etc. The optimum Polymathica Village size is somewhat smaller than the cited 1990 study because per capita income will be much higher. While this description may sound similar to the current ‘urban sprawl’ of suburbia, we suggest that each village will be more politically, socially, culturally and geographically discreet with significant non-urban areas, dedicated to nature parks, truck farms, specialized recreational facilities, etc. between them. Overall population densities would not be significantly different from that of current U.S. metropolitan areas, which generally fall between 1,000 and 2,000 per square mile (386 – 772 per Km^2).

Clearly a community of refinement and erudition will differ significantly from contemporary urban and suburban settings. When combined with the Information Age income explosion, the differences will likely be profound. We begin with the observation that cultural and educational outlets will be significantly greater on a per capita basis. Bridge clubs, chess clubs, book clubs, garden clubs, etc. can be expected to garner larger memberships and be more central to village life. The imbedded educational structure will facilitate the residents’ commitment to lifelong learning. Retail and restaraunt selections will reflect the community value of refinement. Architecture will, by and large, reflect the more timeless, elegant styles.

A Community Design Polymath is the founder and central visionary who mobilizes design and implementation teams. These processes may engage as many as 200 Enterprise Polymaths. The initial design team Team will begin by defining the proposed village in signficant detail. This process will begin with a simple statement of the type and location of the village. It could be an equestrian friendly mini-ranch community in the Western U.S., a tropical beach centered community in the Caribbean, an urban, classic design within commuting distance of St. Petersburg, Russia, or any number of other designs.

The next step is to design the general structure of the village and answer central questions about the community. How large will it be in population and area? Will there be any central industries? Are there remarkable land use or structural features that will be significant to the definition of the community? What will be the primary attractants and is it likely that the population and gross income will support them? Will there be an overall architectural theme? Will specific lifestyles, such as golfing or boating, be central to the community’s structure?

Once the design team is satisfied that the general concept of the village appears feasible, it will consider the real estate development feasibility. Is it likely that the necessarily land can be acquired at an acceptible price? Are the various regulatory bodies likely to be receptive? Can the necessary resources to sustain the community be brought to the location? Are there attractive financing options available. An economic development plan is also be developed that will provide a preliminary assessment of the financial feasibility of the project and the likely economic stability of the community. It also will provide an initial sense of the employment structure of the Village.

Next, the process will bifurcate. A web presence will be constructed that describes the intended village. This will be used to attract both prospective residents and investors. The Design Team will create a Design Team LLP and a Real Estate Development LLC. The Design Team LLP will focus on design and marketing services for a fee against percent of revenue. The Real Estate Development LLC will create a series of Investment Partnerships that will finance specific portions of the development process. It will receive a fee, equity for investment and a ‘promote’ based upon financial performance. The Design Team LLP, will fill out its design staff with community planning and architectural design personnel and begin to build a marketing staff.

The total revenue and income of the Design Team will be based upon a number of factors. One of the most important for everyone involved in the process is the appreciation in the land itself. In other words, simply the decision to build a village in a location can significantly increase the value of the land. Raw land often costs no more than $2,000 per acre. Yet residential land can command $25,000 per acre or more. In other words, 10,000 acres that may be purchased for $25 million, may valued at more than $300 million when rezoned for residential and commercial uses. This $225 million in appreciation will be claimed by the Design Team LLP and the investors in the Real Estate Development LLC. Who gets how much will be determined by market forces. However, the Design Team will be in control, in the sense that they structure the offering and the investors either accept the terms or not.

The initial and final value of the land may be complicated if it must be aggregated in parcels. In other words, if a developer buys 160 acres at raw land values and then develops it, the adjacent land can be expected to appreciate. Consequently, it is better in these situations to establish a target area and acquire purchase options for all of it before making any commitments.

The income to the Design Team will also be significantly higher if they act as architect and contractor. If so, they may receive as much as an additional 15% of the total revenue. A village of $4 billion could have design and contracting margin of as much as $600 million. However, of course, the expenses would be much higher as well. In total, however, the net income to the Design Team in a successful, well constructed project, should be in the $250 million to $500 million range. One would not necessarily assume that the six to ten members of the Design Team will share equally in the proceeds. However, an average of $40 million to $50 million over a five year project may be quite reasonable.

On the marketing and design side fifty to one hundred ‘Lifestyle Consultants’ will be engaged by prospective residents to assist in planning and implementing the move to the village. This may include selection of a residence, acquiring financing, finding employment or a potential business. Their income will derive from real estate commissions, origination fees and placement fees, franchise commissions, etc. Most new residents will create total revenue for Lifestyle Consultants of approximately $20K to $40K, suggesting annual income protential of $400K to $800K per year.

On the financing side, the Design Team, through the Real Estate Development, LLC and its various partnerships, will create investment instruments for placement by Venture Polymaths and for the benefit of all Polymathica Fellows and Subscribers. These will include equity and debt investments in real estate development, mortgage conduits, business debt and equity funding, public financing bonds and commercial real estate financing. This is a central point of the Fellowship of Polymathica. Its various components are cross-enabling. Polymathica.com is primarily about News and Entertainment, with a healthy measure of community. However, it creates a venue that will concentrate potential Village residents, potential investors, etc.