Living small. It's a trend around the nation that's catching on in Southeast Wisconsin. There's discussion in Cedarburg of building a Pocket Neighborhood.

"It's exactly what it sounds like, a little pocket neighborhood," said Kip Kinzel, Mayor of Cedarburg.

The Pocket Neighborhood idea was first suggested in Cedarburg a few years ago, but the economic downtown put the idea in the back pocket. The idea was reintroduced this month. Ross Chapin Architects, based in Langley Washington, knows them well. They describe them as clustered groups of homes or apartments around an open space that's shared. There's a garden courtyard, a pedestrian street, and backyards that are joined. They can be in urban, suburban or rural areas.

"As far as I'm concerned, it just seems like a really fun concept that might be a nice fit for Cedarburg," Mayor Kinzel said.

This is in the very early stages, so there are no planned sites, but Ross Chapin Architects put together a website to learn more about the concept: http://pocket-neighborhoods.net/index.html

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