This Could Be Your New Neighborhood

A twist on communes, these next-level “intentional communities” are focused on human and environmental wellness

- By Gisela Williams

On a mild autumn Saturday, I join a group of prospective homeowners for a walking tour of Serenbe, a 1,400-acre community of 700-plus residents about a half-hour southwest of downtown Atlanta. We meet our guide, Steve Nygren, at Serenbe’s organic farmers market, which is composed of about a dozen stands tucked into an opening in the woods.

Nygren, who’s also the enclave’s founder, is a lean, sprightly man in his early 70s with a thick shock of pure white hair. He opens on a philosophical note: Most intentional communities—carefully planned residential networks designed with social cohesion in mind—“are built upon a specific social, political, or spiritual belief,” he says. Serenbe is different. It’s not a commune, though community is a big part of why people move here. It’s not spiritual either; instead, its guiding principles are sustainability, wellness, and land conservation. And it’s not an elitist gated development like the nearby golf-oriented River Club; instead, it’s more like a vibrant city neighborhood plopped into an idyllic natural setting. Serenbe is one of an increasing number of such intentional communities devoted to improving human and environmental well-being. Call them eco-enclaves.

Nygren leads us down a wide sidewalk lined with Natchez crepe myrtle trees into Selborne, one of Serenbe’s three hamlets that are largely geothermically powered. (There will eventually be five.) Along the way, he mentions Serenbe’s wide array of nature trails, the horse stables, a yoga studio, and a playhouse, which tonight is putting on an outdoor performance of