Accolades continue to roll in for Serenbe, a 900-acre community 33 miles southwest of Atlanta, where Phil Tabb, professor of architecture at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, serves as masterplan architect.
The Atlanta Urban Land Institute awarded Serenbe, a cluster of environmentally friendly, mixed-use hamlets, its first-ever Sustainability Award at the institute’s Sept. 18 Development of Excellence Awards.
The award is given to recognize excellence in sustainable approaches related to real estate and urban development in the Atlanta area.
Also, two publications have recently taken note of the Serenbe approach to living.
Cottage Living magazine chose Serenbe as one of its Top 10 neighborhoods in America in 2008.
Among the magazine’s criteria were inspiring architecture, relative affordability, walkable streets, and innovations that spur positive changes on a regional and even national level.
“Our list celebrates the best places to enjoy life just right — communities where neighborly houses and pedestrian-scaled streets aren't a thing of the past,” said the magazine.
Tabb designed the community’s master plan and has led charrettes for various projects within Serenbe’s overall plan since 2001.
The Town Paper, which reports on new urbanism and traditional town design, published a lengthy feature on Serenbe, quoting Tabb extensively.
“For me, this is my legacy, my life’s work,” Tabb told The Town Paper. “I’m in my early 60s and I’m a full-time professor. I’ll live here eventually, when I retire. It has another 10 to 20 years of work ahead of it, and I’d like be around to see it grow up.”
Cottage Living’ top-10 rankings are available at http://www.cottageliving.com/cottage/travel/article/0,21135,1808929,00.html
The Town Paper’s Serenbe story is available at http://www.tndtownpaper.com/Volume10/life_in_balance.htm.
