Livable army posts

No dodging it, there are major flaps about US foreign policy and how it not so indirectly support decisions that we make as a society of individual consumers.

However, if there are to be army bases housing thousands of personnel and families, then they should be built thoughtfully. Upstate New York, where I'm from, has a legacy of abandoned military bases and the slow seeping loss of life inevitably sets in when they do close down. Now, what if military bases and on-post housing were very livable?

Fort Belvoir in Fairfax, Virginia has embarked on a livable communities initiative, a 50-year public-private partnership to apply New Urbanist thinking to army housing. There are special considerations given the specific characteristics - physical and emotional - of military jobs, but I thought this was definitely a step in the right direction for all these people and their families. The new Starbucks is very popular and see the courtyard for yourself.

Thanks Peter!