EYE ON DESIGN BY DAN GREGORY

Dateline: Daybreak, Utah

I just returned from Utah where I attended a fascinating community planning brainstorm and then toured the state's newest new town: Daybreak, at the south end of the Salt Lake Valley. Views across the valley to jagged peaks promote blue sky thinking: no wonder that famous early settler said "This is the Place."

The planning session, called a "Vision Charette" (shown above) brought together planners, engineers, landscape architects, sustainability experts, real estate consultants, and company managers to discuss the shape and character of the places we call home. Led by real estate marketing guru Sandra Kulli — whose omnivorous intellect, organizational skill, and major league whistle turned twenty disparate individuals into a focused, passionate, and cohesive working team — the charette explored the relationship between building and nature, past and future.

So, what makes a great place?

A strong identity certainly. Where there are easy ways to meet or wave to each other and keep eyes on the street. Where nature flourishes. Where there are spaces for "safe unsupervised play." Where the imagination can run away with itself. Where there's a sense of history combined with a vision of the future. Where there are layers of complexity, detail, and living. Can a brand new place embody these qualities? I think it can — all our favorite neighborhoods were new once. And the house you build is a key ingredient.

Daybreak (entrance shown above) developed by Kennecott Land and now in its fourth year, is approaching this town planning ideal. It's ambitious: an eventual 20,000+ homes on 4,157 acres with valley-wide vistas to the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains, and is the largest planned community in Utah to be fully Energy Star- certified. Indeed, the houses I toured all listed a wide array of green features, from Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and state-of-the-art solar panels to low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint.

Spacious front porches — wide enough for rockers, or swing seats or  tables and chairs – dominate the streetscapes. Neighbrohoods cluster around pocket parks and small green squares. Most garages are at the side or rear so sidewalks and streets are more friendly. The mix of apartments and small, medium, and large houses promotes a diversity of ages and incomes. I spoke with two residents. The first said the favorite part of her day was returning home to sit on the front porch.

The second said that from her front porch she sees her neighbors on the way to or from the maillboxes, which are organized in hubs within a block or two of every house. (What about weather protection?)

Community recreation centers are another meeting place — the one I saw is an especially appealing example of rustic contemporary design that celebrates its Wasatch-orented setting.

One final word of praise: the developers of Daybreak actually live there.