new urbanism

The Glen. New Urbanism. Huh?

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The Glen in Glenview Illinois is a perfect example of a community design concept called New Urbanism which emphasizes walkable neighborhoods that reduce a dependence on cars and one that promotes a strong sense of community.  Rather than the seemingly endless developments of single family homes with no commercial core, new urbanism envisions a retail center around which various neighborhoods are built with a variety of home styles.

Suburban sprawl came about with the rise of cars in the first half of the 20th century.  Autos allowed people to live away from the city.  To go to the city or – later – to shopping malls that sprang up in the 60’s and 70’s, people got in their cars and drove.  They may have lived in specific neighborhoods, but they had little in the way of identity and emotional attachment to these areas.

New Urbanism also emphasizes plenty of open spaces and community institutions to be shared by residents and easily accessible by walking or riding bikes.  Mass transit typically is provided for distances that might typically be reached by automobiles, thus New Urbanism is considered environmentally friendly.

The Glen has a retail core called Glen Town Center with tons of shops, restaurants and a movie theater.  This three block area is located on Tower Drive that my family refers to as “Main Street”.  Within The Glen one also finds playgrounds, two golf courses, tennis courts, sports fields, Battery Park, Lake Glenview, Kohl Children’s Museum, and the Glenview Park Center with a health club, basketball courts, and a pre-school.  Residents from any of the various Glen neighborhoods can walk to any of these venues.

There are many housing types in The Glen including single family homes, condos, townhomes, row homes, duplexes and two-flats.  These homes offer an abundance of architectural styles to please most any taste.  We also have our own Metra train station for residents who need to reach the city for work or who want to take advantage of Chicago’s many cultural and sports offerings.

If The Glen sounds like kind of place where you would like to live, please contact me.  I am a long time Glen homeowner and an award winning Realtor.  I can be reached by phone at 847-401-1802 or by email at margaretludemann@gmail.com.

Margaret Ludemann, @properties Realtor

Walk to 15 restaurants in The Glen

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Let’s see, my son is at a school event until 9 p.m. My husband and I are tired tonight, and neither of us is in the mood to cook. What shall we do? Oh yeah, we live in The Glen where we can walk to fifteen restaurants. Not a typo. Fifteen places to eat within a couple of blocks of our home in The Glen!

The Glen is an upscale residential and retail development in Glenview Illinois, a close-to-Chicago, north shore suburban village. Early stages of development began about 16 years ago, and we still have some new construction in one of our nine Glen neighborhoods. The Glen community was inspired by the concept called new urbanism, a planning scheme that revives cities and reinvents suburbs. It’s based on the way cities and towns were built for centuries before the development of sprawling suburbs and cul-de-sacs. Homes in close proximity to shops, restaurants and services. More walking, less driving. Nearby public spaces. Everything within a ten minute stroll. That’s The Glen!

My family and I live in a townhome development, Tower Crossing, that borders Glen Town Center, our retail “main street”. Our choices tonight are varied. We can eat Thai, Italian, Mexican, sandwiches & wraps, burgers & fries, steaks, vegetarian or pizza. If I could convince my husband, we could even go to a sushi bar or to a wine bar with an upscale dining menu. (That’s my choice!) Here is a link to Glen Town Center’s website where you can find a list of all Glen restaurants and their menus. http://www.theglentowncenter.com/dine.html

If you may be interested in living in The Glen, please email me at margaretludemann@gmail.com or call me at 847-401-1802. I am an award winning Realtor focusing on the wonderful homes in The Glen.

Margaret Ludemann, The Glen Realty Group

@properties Realtor

“New Urbanism” in The Glen

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If you didn’t see Mary Ellen Podmolik’s story, “Paving the Way for a Vibrant Downtown”, in the Chicago Tribune on November 10th, please go online and find it.  Not only is Ms. Podmolik one of the finest journalists who write about real estate, but she selected a very timely and engaging topic…”new urbanism”.  In a nutshell the term means new homes in close proximity to create a feeling of neighborhood within walking distance of restaurants, shops and public transportation…yet often in suburban communities far from city center (read downtown Chicago).

The examples used by Ms. Podmolic are the School Street homes in Libertyville and the planned development on Floral Avenue in Skokie.  She points to research by the National Association of Realtors that shows that people will trade a large yard for a shorter commute and for a short walk to schools, restaurants and businesses.  But she might as well have written about The Glen, developed with this model in mind, fully a dozen years ago before the concept even had a name.

The Glen is a residential and retail community in the North Shore village of Glenview, Illinois.  The Glen has several neighborhoods, most within an easy walk to the retail hub called Glen Town Center which has scores of restaurants and shops along with a movie theater, coffee house, book store, and Kohl Children’s Museum.  Attea Middle School is also located in The Glen.

I live in a townhome development called Tower Crossing with 154 spectacular homes which border Glen Town Center.  We know our neighbors and see them constantly.  Our favorite activity is what we call “mailbox parties”, informal Sunday night cook outs in the common area by our mailboxes.  All homes are within a few STEPS of dining and shopping, and a few blocks from a Metra train station.  The Cambridge neighborhood with single family homes, townhomes, two-flats, and duplexes is just across Patriot Blvd from Glen Town Center.  Chapel Crossing’s many single family homes are a short walk as well.

If you may be interested in living in a “new urbanism” environment, please contact me.  I would love to show you what it’s like to live in The Glen.

Margaret Ludemann, Glen resident and @properties Realtor

Margaret.Ludemann@gmail.com   847-401-1802