So is the distinctive red brick of the houses in the Fairview section of Camden, the first planned community in America. Built as rental housing for shipyard workers during World War II, Fairview was laid out in a central residential octagon, which blended various architectural styles with open spaces and small businesses. Today, most of the houses in Fairview are owned by their occupants. Like other neighborhoods in Camden, property values are lower than in the rest of the county. Yet the core of what made Fairview click remains intact after half a century.
Green spaces encourage foot traffic and friendly conversations.
Retail spaces are steady and diverse, enabling residents to bank, shop for food, pick up dry cleaning, order a pizza, go to the doctor and attend a funeral, all within Fairview. I can walk to WaWa in a snowstorm. Loretta Zimmerman, who has lived in Fairview for 43 of her 80 years, tends azaleas and impatiens in her garden. People around here keep their places nice. South Jersey's newest planned community sprang from land where soybeans and tomatoes grew little more than 20 years ago.