Why the “15-Minute Neighborhood” is So Popular for Homebuyers

After experiencing a trying year in 2020, a silver-lining has emerged for the coming year. Work, or more accurately, workspace, has been reimaged by large corporations and companies of all sizes. Among other things, this has fundamentally changed the way families choose a home. The new mantra for millions of workers is encapsulated in the acronym WFH – work from home.

This WFH trend has encouraged workers who had formerly been forced to participate in the daily grind known as the “commute to work” to rethink this action and, instead, choose to live and work in a more relaxed and productive environment – their own home. Corporations such as Hewlett-Packard Enterprises have listened to their employees and made the move to a less-expensive, more livable area.  Master-planned communities such as ARTAVIA™, located just north of one of the most dynamic business centers in the world – Houston – are seeing substantial increases in visits from potential homebuyers.

Adding Up the Numbers

As some wise sage once noted, “the numbers don’t lie.”

According to a recent report from FlexJobs, 1 in 4 workers in the U.S., or approximately 39 million workers will work from home in 2021. This has many positive ramifications:

• When this many people work remotely, gas emissions are reduced dramatically. Experts estimate that this will have the effect of removing 6,000,000 automobiles from roads for one year.
• Workers who do not commute each day, save about $4,000 each year on fuel, auto repair and maintenance, tolls, parking and other travel expenses.
• Even when some of these workers choose to return to traditional offices, it is estimated that between 13 and 27 million workers will choose to work remotely. At this level, commuting miles will be reduced by 70 to 140 billion miles each year.
• According to research group, PayScale, remote workers make 8.3% more than non-remote workers with the same job and qualifications, and 7.5% more in general—not accounting for years of experience, job title, or location.

The Rise of the 15-Minute Neighborhood

In line with this preference for remote working, experts on urban planning have noticed a significant trend in cities as disparate as Paris (France) and Conroe (Texas). It is the rise of what’s been called “the 15-Minute Neighborhood.”

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Remote technology will have an even bigger effect on the geography of work. It promises to reverse the great separation of the places we live and work that occurred during the Industrial Revolution. In doing so, it opens the possibility to remake cities, suburbs and rural areas alike into more complete communities that urbanists call “15-minute neighborhoods,” where people work, shop, take their kids to school and carry out all the rest of life’s daily activities in much closer proximity to where they live.”

Even the mayor of one of the world’s most hyper-urban cities is taking a cue from master-planned communities. “Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is intent on remaking Paris into a federation of such complete communities, with far less car traffic and streets that have been enlivened by pedestrians, bicyclists, restaurant tables and open spaces.”

Master-planned communities such as ARTAVIA™ have been designed to meet this 15-minute neighborhood demand. Such factors as luxurious amenities, that are within walking distance of homes, pristine, environmentally sensitive landscaping, exemplary schools, easy access to shopping and entertainment and flexible floor plans that can be easily adapted to adding one or two home offices, make this community a perfect spot for working and living, 24/7.

In choosing its builders, ARTAVIA™ has selected builders who offer flexibility in pricing and floor plans. This ensures that homebuyers who are planning on working remotely will have a wide range of options. Click here for a complete listing of ARTAVIA™ builders, their pricing and floor plan configurations.

Working or Playing

If your work allows you to live anywhere you want, why would you choose anywhere but a friendly, conveniently located, master-planned community like ARTAVIA™? For information on working, playing and flexible living, click here and schedule a tour.