In 1975, ground broke on a radical design experiment in community living in Davis, California. The Village Homes neighborhood took root in a town shaped by the influence of the University of California, Davis, progressive local government, and a culture open to forward thinking.  A bit of luck — and a lot of vision — helped turn that moment into a model for sustainability still studied, and lived in, today.

The exhibition on that concept, Village Homes: A Radical Plan, celebrates the 50th anniversary of an innovative west Davis neighborhood community. Curated by UC Davis Professor of Design Timothy McNeil and guest curator Adrienne McGraw, the installation showcases the vision, concepts and development behind the project and its goals. The exhibition runs Jan. 20 through April 26 in the UC Davis Design Museum. 

McNeil said that the design of the Village Homes neighborhood shares features with other intentional sustainable communities. Distinctive features include the community growing its food, using passive solar architecture, managing rainwater through an urban watershed, promoting walkability and bike access, and encouraging strong neighborly collaboration.  

“What sets it apart is the integration of all these elements into a cohesive, large-scale, interdependent system,” Mc Neil said. “This holistic approach is what makes Village Homes truly distinctive, enduringly innovative, and still, rather radical."

For 50 years, Village Homes has demonstrated potential solutions for humanity’s survival in a world in climate crisis, McNeil said. The 70-acre, 245-residence subdivision was designed for self-sufficiency. Residents grow food in garden plots, orchards and in shared common areas. All the houses incorporate energy-efficient heating and cooling using passive solar, and the site is designed to collect rainwater onsite to irrigate the landscape and gardens. 

Exhibition asks: why singular?

The exhibition asks why Village Homes is essentially singular. The exhibition will feature original objects, archival photographs, plans and drawings, a part-built section of a typical 1970s house in Village Homes. It recreates a living space and demonstrates the passive solar features as well as an interactive three-dimensional site plan of the neighborhood’s landscape. Other features include a 30-minute documentary film about the community and a commemorative poster.

Village Homes was founded at the confluence of social and ecological movements of the 1960s and 70s such as Earth Day. These philosophies were successfully harnessed by a small group of idealistic and dogged developers, city officials willing to challenge rules, and investors and homebuyers able to take some financial risks, organizers said. The original stakeholders sought to build a neighborhood that decreased environmental impact and increased social harmony. Key to the success were founders Michael Corbett and Judy Corbett, who were steadfast and determined to build the ideal neighborhood. This vision today seems bold and almost unbuildable, yet Village Homes is a sought-after neighborhood and looked to as a model for urban planning. Despite this, and its similarities to the Garden City movement, there are few comparable communities, organizers said. 

Part of Biodiversity Museum Day

The exhibition will be part of UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 21. The “Village Homes: A Radical Plan” event will include a documentary film about the history and ideas behind this unique housing sub-division, the Moo-vin’ Moo-seum, and a discussion about the neighborhood’s influence and its future. That event runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the UC Davis Design Museum. 

The Design Museum, part of the College of Letters and Science and free to the public, is in 124 Cruess Hall. Open Monday–Friday, noon-4 p.m. To schedule a weekend appointment (Sunday 2– 4 p.m. only), arrange a group visit, or for further information please call (530) 752-6150 or email tplance@ucdavis.edu.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by the UC Davis Green Initiative Fund and the City of Davis Cultural Affairs program.