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. Amid the crippling oil crisis that lasted for around 6 months, David Hall was convinced that the contemporary way that Western economies were set up was unsustainable. He came across a book containing Joseph Smith’s revelations from the early 1830s, which offered a surprising solution to these issues. The Plat of the City of Zion, and Plan of the House of the Lord, detailed a way in which communities anywhere in the world could be set up sustainably, and achieve an optimal use of resources to ensure prosperity for all people.
The documents convinced David that the communities envisaged in them could be achieved in the present day through technological, economic, and organizational innovations. His strong engineering and entrepreneurial background enabled him to, over time, conceptualize what such communities would look like today and in the future.
While the American Planning Association recognized the documents when awarding its 1996 Planning Landmark Award, 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 the typical urban environment (endless concrete and asphalt). Note, for example, how much more greenery is intrinsic to NewVistas than many variations of the Barcelona-type “superblocks” (as one paper puts it, “Superblock design reduces space assigned to cars to enable alternative uses for improving liveability and sustainability”).
There are no religious requirements at all; this is strictly a secular undertaking. The NewVistas pattern establishes a physical, social, and economic system that applies to all humans and can accommodate any culture or religion that doesn’t violate its basic principles.
Median home size varies widely across the world and even within the United States, and number of residents per home varies as well. Over time, the trend has been an increase in home size and a decrease in the number of residents, so NewVistas is certainly going against the grain. Still, high density is relative; NewVistas is very high density but not ridiculous (countries like the US and Australia are the outliers in their extreme low density).
The extreme high density has extreme benefits. No cars, all amenities within walking distance, and, even with such high density within the community, buildings occupy a very low percentage of surface land, so everyone enjoys unobstructed green vistas from their apartment windows and patios. Many more details at the Physical Campus page and articles and subpages linked there.
The low-risk financial model of a NewVistas community supports a wide variety and number of business opportunities. Markets, restaurants, retail and specialty stores are established and operated by private businesses. Community structures include gathering areas for cultural and social events, sports facilities, swimming pools, and outdoor gardens. Residents can experience all of the activities of daily living within walking distance of home.