Have you ever wandered onto a construction site and observed the chaos going on around you? You’ll find carpenters hammering, electricians wiring, painters painting and a variety of other activities happening simultaneously. Tradesmen shout to be heard over whining circular saws while the contractor attempts to orchestrate the next delivery of building supplies via a mobile phone. It’s a wild scene.

Now imagine compounding this work in progress with a neighborhood of 100 homes in various stages of construction. Add to this remarkable activity thousands of decisions being made behind the scenes by hundreds of landscape installers, interior designers, architects, bankers, sales people, appraisers, clerical support folks, homeowners, and countless others, and you get what’s going on in building I’On, Mixson or Morris Square.

How in the world can such pandemonium ever result in an orderly street of completed homes? And more importantly, what transpires to enable these homes to compliment each other in a manner that leads to the formation of a soulful place alive with families, such as finally exists on Prescient Street in the Eastlake borough of I’On?

Complexity theory – a way of looking at things in a more organic fashion like the principles exhibited in nature – may provide some of the answers. It involves the study of how complex systems work to produce simple and elegant results. This new way of thinking is causing researchers in fields ranging from biology to physics, and economics to psychology to fundamentally alter established views of the world.

One way to understand complexity theory is through an observation of birds. A single bird follows simple rules of behavior, such as when and what to eat. However, birds flying together exhibit complex, unpredictable, and creative behavior that emerge naturally from the individual interaction of each bird. For example, a flock in v-formation is able to fly further and faster than an individual bird flying alone. To fly in a flock, a bird needs to follow three simple rules: don’t bump into anything, keep up, and stay close. Yet, following these rules leads to a complex group of birds flying with the speed and precision of the Blue Angels.

How then does complexity theory relate to building a neighborhood? Well, conventional subdivision development involves thinking in a mechanistic, linear, top-down manner characterized by systematic procedures that lead to predictable outcomes. For example, some developers use a single design firm, superintendent, and identical group of sub-contractors to construct houses on identical lots. Such an assembly line approach is an efficient and inexpensive way to generate a large quantity of structures, but often lacks the quality of design and authentic sense of place of a more dynamic neighborhood.

At I’On Group, our approach is different. We begin with a vision and small set of simple building rules (embodied in two pages of the I’On Code) that emphasize siting, proportion, and materials. These rules enable the potential for an infinite number of possibilities, yet result in a beautifully elegant fulfillment of the vision. Creativity and efficiency emerge naturally and are facilitated through interactions and relationships that result in bottom up solutions from everyone involved in building the neighborhood.

Such a holistic approach also makes for a healthier community by strengthening its immune system. The inherent diversity of I’On or Mixson make them better able to withstand social and economic shifts than if they were more homogeneous neighborhoods. “Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket” is as applicable to an established neighborhood as it is to the stock market. People age, lifestyles change and demographics shift. The more facets of a place, the healthier it can be.

With the high quality of effort being administered by countless individuals pouring their heart into building a place like I’On, the high quality of built product was fairly predictable. However, it is impossible to predict exactly what form this quality will take. But just as a flock of birds can achieve more than a bird flying alone, it’s likely the energy and enthusiasm generated by hundreds of neighborhood building participants, each working toward their own end while guided by a common vision, will yield results no one person could ever dream possible, much less construct.

Observed in this light, it is easy to see why the rigid command and control mindset can result in a sterile environment. Whereas, by getting more hands involved and letting the soul work over the fountainhead of a strong vision, a culture of caring and connection forms to create tremendous aesthetic and economic value. And out of this culture grows social value through the strong bonds of community – not imposed from above, but emerging from the neighbors themselves.

How far can we all go with this? Given an ongoing effort to continually improve, a bird might say the sky’s the limit.

Filed under: I'On Group, I'On Village, Mixson, Morris Square, Urban Sustainability on October 2nd, 2007