About
NewVistas is a nonprofit organization committed to understanding and promoting sustainable prosperity.
It exists to educate the public regarding sustainable systems, develop the NewVistas model, provide housing and employment opportunities within an ecologically and economically sustainable infrastructure, and promote the conservation of real property for fully sustainable development.
The key principles of the NewVistas model are:
- High quality of life
- Fully integrated economic system
- Nonhierarchical organizational structure
- Massive worldwide scalability
- Low overall impact
History
NewVistas was formally organized in 2015, but its roots go back to 1973 when David Hall began studying a community plat and other documents created in the 1830s. These documents were of special interest to him because of the oil crisis of the time and also because of his science, religious, and entrepreneurial background.
The American Planning Association recognized the documents when awarding its 1996 Planning Landmark Award, but David Hall’s interest went beyond considering their historical value.
His interest turned into a lifetime of study and innovation and eventually led to the creation of NewVistas. For more information on historical background, see the article “Where the Pattern Comes From and Why it Matters” and this interview from 2021.
FAQs
Many so-called “green” efforts are only addressing symptoms, not root causes. Even the more ambitious efforts are not truly viable solutions in that they will not scale to all humanity. The NewVistas pattern is special because it is the only community pattern that can scale in a sustainable way to everyone on Earth.
Take a look at the Implementation page for more about when and how NewVistas will go from concept to reality.
Many current towns and cities are built with grid-type layouts, and most buildings in a given area look alike. Indeed, in most towns and cities a degree of sameness is even enforced by way of zoning. Variety is possible in a NewVistas community in that each building can vary in appearance by way of how its façade is built. Some examples and more details are here and here.
All that said, it’s important to remember that NewVistas puts a huge emphasis on green space and doing things at a human scale. This means that even in the heart of the community, people will feel more like they’re in a park or out in nature than in an urban jungle.