Why Pocket Neighborhoods?

For me, this isn’t about architecture or planning buzzwords. It’s about survival — and belonging.

 

I’ve never married, and I don’t have kids. That means if I live in a house where neighbors keep to themselves, the risk is real: I could get hurt, and nobody might notice. This happened on our street. A pair of hermits, who kept everyone at arm’s length, passed away in their home. Nobody questioned not seeing them until it was too late.

 

That’s not how neighborhoods should work.

 

Pocket neighborhoods change the equation. Smaller homes face shared green spaces instead of being tucked behind fences. Porches and walkways make it natural to see each other in passing. It isn’t about forcing connection — it’s about making awareness possible.

 

And that’s the point: it’s a choice. You don’t have to be social to live here. You can keep to yourself when you want to. But you don’t have to fear being invisible, because the design itself makes it easier for people to notice if something’s wrong.

 

In days past, this was how neighborhoods worked. People noticed if you weren’t around. They checked in. They knew your name. That’s the kind of safety net I want to build back into housing — because living independently shouldn’t mean living invisibly.

 

Pocket neighborhoods also make housing work better on the practical side: smaller footprints mean lower land and infrastructure costs, shared green spaces mean smarter use of land, and thoughtful layouts mean more people can actually afford to live there.

 

That’s why Little Haven is built on this model. Because housing isn’t just walls and a roof. It’s the people around you, the ones who wave from the porch, share the garden, or simply notice if you don’t come outside. In a world where too many people are isolated and forgotten, pocket neighborhoods offer something radical: independence without invisibility.