Serenbe, My Thoughts

Teslas, hiking trails, and beautiful people... what's not to like? A few days ago I decided I'd take a self-guided tour of Serenbe. Serenbe is a residential community created around 20-30 years ago and located in a rural area of southwestern Fulton County adjacent to the Coweta county line. The closest "town" is Chattahoochee Hills and is approximately 17 miles north of Newnan, Ga. Serenbe is an example of New Urbanism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Urbanism

This movement stresses "environmentally conscious" development. Or at least the appearance of such. In the oldest "hamlet" (they call their neighborhoods hamlets), named "Selborne", the houses are right on the street and really close to each other. Selborne is the "artistic" themed neighborhood with a diversity of architecture and trendy boutiques. There's also a coffee shop, restaurant, and a fancy florist shop. Houses are of modest size and yards are small and shaded. Serenbe is designed to be walkable, and the various hamlets are connected via numerous footpaths through the forest.

It is a wannabe utopia. I saw signs like "Children and Adults at Play" and "Goat Yoga on Tuesdays" I take it that the designers of this community wanted to offer something "different". It seems a creation intended for a certain type of person who wants organic food and a healthier more "European" lifestyle.

According to Brightwater Homes Reality, the average price of a new home here is between 600k and 1 million $. So it is obviously intended for a certain class of person as well.

Now I'm not immune to the trappings of materialism. I love rock walls, wildflowers, and bucolic paths. I like nice things! But I would feel a little guilty living in a place like Serenbe. There is almost a cult-like quality here. While it is open to the public and isn't gated like comparable upscale communities, it seems artificial. But I don't fault people for choosing to live this way. It is indeed a beautiful place and probably full of interesting and fun people.

I guess my biggest concern is that it IS intended to be a "utopia". The very name "Serenbe" is derived from "serenity", and it was obviously intended as a sort of refuge from the rest of society. I know we all are guilty of not wanting to see "unpleasant" things. It personally hurts me to see homelessness and abandoned homes. But it equally concerns me to see privileged people so segregated and detached from the full range of humanity.

I want all our towns and cities to be revitalized in ways congruent with the principles of "new urbanism"- walkability, more green space, smaller houses, and higher density of single-family homes. All of these elements would enhance the quality of our existence. We do need to walk more and need to live closer to our employees and businesses. Not only would this improve our physical health, but our mental and social lives would be enriched by slowing down and really "seeing" others... not just zipping by them on the highway. I truly feel walking enhances our capacity for imagination and empathy. When we detach from the uncomfortable things around us, we gradually lose our ability to empathize with our fellow humans.

Instead of carving up rural areas to create cloistered rich-people communes, like Serenbe, I feel we need to focus first on re-imagining and re-investing in our cities and small towns. If large segments of our society feel no hope of escaping poverty and rural and urban decay, our whole country suffers. I believe we all want a better quality of life, so let's advocate for things we all know will enhance it. It's not just about being "comfortable", we thrive when we engage with all the realities of life, not just the pretty "feel good" ones.