There is a certain common sense that must prevail to maintain sustainability, and our elders gave us the gift of common sense.
Six years ago we decided to create a residential development on our family property. What may turn out to be our greatest asset is that we knew nothing about being a developer. Knowing nothing meant we had to learn everything, and the more we learned about traditional residential development and home construction the more our common sense was telling us "this isn't right". We realized that developers were driven to pack as many lots on a parcel of ground as possible, so lots were getting smaller, and there was no room in the developer's budget for open space. As we put economic budgets together, the motivation for this behavior is quite clear. However, common sense tells us that there is more to consider than pure economics.
We have observed that in recent years, homeowners have generally demanded more square footage in their homes and greater privacy. The result is one of two scenarios. First is huge houses on small lots surrounded by privacy fences. The majority of the ground is covered with rooftops, driveways, and roads. These developments have no exposed land left to absorb rain water, which now runs directly from roof to street to storm drain to river to the ocean, unfiltered and full of pollutants, while the aquifers drop dramatically every year!
The other scenario is the big house on large lots (2 to10 acres) located on the urban fringe. The result of this trend is a significant increase in the rate of urban sprawl an inefficient delivery of services (sewer, water, etc.).
The home building market was booming and competition fierce, so the quality of construction began to suffer. Home owners demanded more cosmetic amenities and larger floor plans, while competition continued to drive the prices down forcing builders to cut corners to stay competitive. Cheaper labor, cheaper materials, quicker sloppier methods lead to a glut of McMansions that look fine inside and out, but behind the drywall and siding are poorly constructed, energy hogs. The quality builders had to drop their standards, go out of business, or find the few people who understood the difference and build for them at a price reflective of their quality. We certainly understood these drivers, but it offended our common sense and alarmed our sense of stewardship for our planet.
We have concluded that change is needed and if that meant to do it green, sustainably, high performance, or with quality, then we would do it. Call it what you want, to us it all boiled down to the principles of common sense and quality.
The Wellspring process is pragmatic, creative, receptive, calculated and calm.