Thursday, April 13, 2006


Crossroads is filled with people that have an interest in real estate, so I think many will find this article fascinating. Near Naples, Florida there is a new Catholic university and town being built from the ground up. It will be the 1st new Catholic university built in the United States in 40 years, and will be surrounded by a 'traditional values' community. The plans look gorgeous, much like the Orlando suburb of 'Celebration', built by the Disney corporation. To read more about this new city, click here. To watch an interview with the founders of Ave Maria, click here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

All I can think of is Pleasantville (the movie). This guy wants a perfect little town, and everyone has perfect values and...everything is perfect. Its like the Wallgreens comercial. Will people have to apply to live in the city? It may look good on paper, but I think up and running--it is unatainable(the town not the school.
Go school!).

Mr. Ed said...

I've been following this story for some time, with interest. But I think of not Pleasantville, but rather Robert Owen, Welshman who built his perfect "utopia" in Indiana, a town called New Harmony. The project was to create the perfect socialist community, with the humanistic ideal from the very beginning. But the town floundered and the humanistic ideal fell apart, not just because of it's philosophy (contrary to God's will and purpose) but primarily because it is contrary to the free market, capitalistic system proven to work.

I certainly think all the brilliance is there, all the thought needed in how the town is laid out with some of the best urban planners in the country taking part. But in the end, it is contrary to what made America prosper, and may do well for a while, but will ultimately prove to be a developer's dream simply helping to get a town off the ground a little quicker than otherwise.

I hear good things about this community and I know the intention is truly God-honoring, but it is a man-made concept using faulty precepts and I believe it will fail.