The City Plat

The City Plat is an extensive infrastructure solution that will organize communities around the home as the center of society. In simple terms, a City Plat will be a small town with a population of about 20,000 designed and built to serve the needs of families and groups of families i.e. communities. While each City Plat will share many of the same features, each will be able to build and adapt to the specific needs of families in the City Plat.

The City Plat community is a post-industrial, modular solution that focuses on engagement density and the importance of the family as the center of society. The City Plat will focus on sustainable living, decreasing our dependence on cars and improving community self-reliance through local food production and industry. 

For example, in our society housing and transportation infrastructure is built for individuals with little consideration for community needs. This often means long commute times to work that is located in industrial areas or circuitous routes for a weekly shopping trip for a single family. In contrast, due to the relatively small size of the City Plat, places of work and commerce can be laid out to be in easy reach of all families. This will reduce the need for fleets of personal vehicles and sprawling transportation infrastructure because the workplace and shops will be located within walking distance.

Homes will be built to be the heart of society. As a physical structure, they will be built to be both practical and luxurious, while large enough to provide privacy and space for four families with shared space. At the center of the home on the main floor will be a shared, circular area that will serve as a library, meeting room, dance hall, and connective area for the rest of the home. On the lower  floor will be large spaces for play, food preparation, a theater, etc. Other living areas such as bedrooms will be located upstairs at the corners of the house. As a result of sharing space, families will be able to have amenities they may not be able to afford or justify on their own.

At its core, the City Plat is to be a living, breathing lab for social change. The design of the community will save individuals and families valuable time in commuting that they can then spend on personal and familial development. Homes and close-knit communities provide optimal spaces for the development of Personal Relations. Homes provide a natural grouping of families to engage in the Family Academy as they work to find the best way to raise their families. Families will also have a say in the community as the community’s focus is on satisfying the needs of families instead of the needs of big organizations like government or businesses.

We freely recognize that there is a lot of work to develop and build the first City Plat. If you are interested in participating or have questions, please join the forum as we work together to make a better future for our families.  Read the corresponding chapter of the book.