Village Homes is a planned community

Planned community

A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...

 in Davis, California

Davis, California

Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, designed to be ecologically sustainable. The more than 200 houses in the development utilize solar panels for heating, and are oriented around common areas at the rear of the buildings, rather than around the street at the front. The development also uses natural drainage to collect water to irrigate the common areas for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. Village Homes was completed in 1981, and has attracted international attention as an early model of an environmentally friendly housing development, including a visit from then-French President François Mitterrand

François Mitterrand

François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...

.