Prospect, Colorado’s first New Urbanist community, is located on an 80 acre tree farm in the Front Range city of Longmont. When Prospect’s developer Kiki Wallace bought the farm from his family his goal was to build a distinctive project which would minimize negative impacts on the land. He hired Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ), the internationally recognized planners of Seaside, Florida and Kentlands, Maryland, to give form to his vision. The result is a uniquely livable blend of traditional and modern planning concepts, built out in a broad range of architectural styles.

The New Urbanist planning movement proposes an antidote to conventional, sprawling suburban development which is characterized by oversized front yards, wide, featureless streets, and inhospitable house fronts dominated by huge garage doors. Prospect, in common with other New Urbanist communities, instead features narrow, tree lined streets connecting homes to numerous parks and public amenities, shops, and offices. Home types include detached houses, townhouses, courtyard houses, apartments, and live/work lofts. Mature trees have been planted along Prospect’s streets and in its parks to provide the shade and privacy typical of an established community.

The neighborhood, now in its fourth phase of development, will eventually have up to 585 units on 340 lots. A large community park surrounded by shops, a swimming pool, restaurants and offices comprise the town center, and all of this is within a 5 minute walk of Prospect’s homes.

In 1996 Prospect won a Governer’s Smart Growth Award for its innovative alternative to suburban sprawl. In addition numerous articles have been written about the community, documenting its growth and success.

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