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scratch here, would be too large for this county. Even if down sized it probably would not fly where community populations are in the very low hundreds or less.
Second, people in Rappahannock County are very independent. It would be hard for them to be organized as a tightknit, small-lot community, or pay a dues assessment. It would require a change in attitude, away from the national trend of facing TV sets and computer screens and turning around to face very close neighbors and working with them. Supposedly there is an emerging small community spirit growing in the United States, but for now it’s touch and go.
Third, creating a town from the ground up assumes a steady stream of new inhabitants to buy small-lot homes as they are constructed. There’s also the infrastructure problem - the need to build a road system, including the cul-de-sacs, put in sewers, water lines, electricity, gas or other utilities.
These are all expensive, up-front costs, although, according to one of the original designers of Radbum, the unusual cul-desacs would save about 25 percent of such costs. Even if feasible, you’d need to find some large parcel of land in Rappahannock County for such a town.
Fourth, other towns, villages, and hamlets would probably look upon a newly created Radbum-style town with resentment. It would be brand new, without any local historical legacy. There might be a political imbalance. There might be traffic congestion getting to and from the place. If things worked well, town expansion and aggrandizement might become an issue.
Can something be learned by the county’s towns, villages, and hamlets from the Radburn experiment? Yes. Most important is that it is possible to build so that the automobile is tamed and people can walk wherever they want without cross
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