Move over, communes and gated neighborhoods. The new private enclave is all about making you—and the environment—feel better.
Gisela Williams
April 16, 2020, 6:05 AM EDT
From Bloomberg Businessweek
On a mild autumn Saturday, I join a group of prospective homeowners for a walking tour of Serenbe, a 1,400-acre community of 700-plus residents in Chattahoochie Hills, Ga., about a half-hour southwest of downtown Atlanta. We meet our guide, Steve Nygren, at Serenbe’s organic farmers market, which comprises about a dozen stands tucked into an opening in the woods.
Nygren, who’s also the enclave’s founder, is a lean, sprightly man in his early 70s with a thick shock of pure, white hair. He opens on a philosophical note: Most intentional communities—carefully planned residential networks designed with social cohesion in mind—“are built upon a specific social, political, or spiritual belief,” he says.
Serenbe is different, he says. It’s not a commune, though community is a big part of why people move here. It’s not spiritual either: Its guiding principles are sustainability, wellness, and land conservation. And it’s not an elitist gated development such as the nearby, golf-oriented River Club. It’s more like a vibrant city neighborhood plopped into an idyllic natural setting. Serenbe is one of an increasing number of such intentional communities devoted to improving human and environmental well-being. Call them eco-enclaves.
