Seaside, New Urbanism planned community in Walton County, Florida
Seaside is a planned settlement along the Florida coast designed according to principles of pedestrian-friendly urban planning. The streets follow a grid that radiates from the central thoroughfare and are lined with wood-frame houses featuring porches, all within a few minutes' walk from the sandy beach.
Robert Davis inherited a coastal property from his grandfather in 1978 and commissioned two architects from Miami to design a settlement that combined traditional building styles with contemporary urban planning. The first structures were completed in 1981, and the development became a model for many similar projects across the US.
This place served as the setting for a movie about a man whose entire life was a television show. The songwriter festival each fall draws musicians from across the region who perform new work in open-air venues.
A visit works well on Saturday mornings when the weekly market offers produce from the area, fresh bread, and native plants. Most facilities line the main road or sit within a few side streets, so everything is easy to reach on foot.
A small school opened here in 1996 and was the first of its kind in Florida to operate under a charter model. The institution started with fifty children and keeps groups deliberately small to this day so each student receives more attention.
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