Avalon Park is a beautifully planned and designed neighbourhood in the southeast Orlando area. As many parts of all the Orlando area have been seeing major developments lately, it is really good to see how Avalon Park has been planned with care, love and attention to make it a great place for families to live.
The designers of Avalon Park looked to the past for inspiration. While “the good old days” are often given a golden glow from memory, it’s certainly true that many things about the past were better than some aspects of modern life. A greater importance was placed on family life and community living.
This school of thought that drove the design of Avalon Park is called Neo-Traditionalism, or New Urbanism. Since the 1980s, New Urbanism has sought to plan neighbourhoods that are easy to live in, turning away from the car-only type neighbourhoods that once sprang up. Sidewalks –where people can meet, stroll, play and even commute if their job is close enough – are an important part of the design, as everything in the neighbourhood area is designed to be walkable, making it accessible for all.
A neighbourhood like Avalon Park that has been planed along Neo-Traditional lines has several key features: a definable center within walking distance of all houses in the neighbourhood, a range of offices and stores to cater to the everyday needs of residents, a variety of housing styles so rich, poor, families and singles can find something suitable. Traffic calming and taking the emphasis off motorized transport is also important, and in these days of soaring petrol prices, that’s a smart move. Schools and playgrounds are also sited so that walking to the park or to school is a possibility.
Avalon Park is not the only example of Neo-Traditionalism within the Orlando area. The neighbourhood community of Celebration is a high-profile example of this school of urban design that is one of the “poster children” of the movement.
If this sounds like the type of Orlando community you’d like to live in, contact us here at Bahia Realty Group. We frequently have property for sale in Avalon Park and in Celebration, plus many more.
Jennifer Cook
Orlando Real Estate