The tradition of Traditional

Old Main Street Avoca, PA

Call it what you want, but the types of neighborhoods that lure buyers and people to places all tend to sound the same after a while.

In this article (WSJ, via Post Gazette), what lures buyers become somewhat formulaic:

"...Dan and Bena Tarczynski traded a four-bedroom home in the suburbs here for another one built on an old Navy base not far from downtown. It has a smaller yard, the neighbors are closer and the house is only 15 feet from the road, but the Tarczynskis say they and their two children couldn't be happier.

They enjoy being able to walk to parks or shops or restaurants. They like the full-grown trees and the varied architecture of the neighborhoods. And Mr. Tarczynski loves the fact that he can get to his office in five minutes instead of 45."

So why is this so hard to get through to people who are designing these places? This isn't about the way it looks - it's about the way it functions. So there's no reason it couldn't look different - traditional, modern, post-modern, contemporary - while performing these vital functions. You think?