This net-zero, sustainable community was originally entered in a Re-Vision Dallas design competition by Standard Architects. It’s a cool, contemporary expression of communal, sustainable living, featuring: green, open spaces and envisioning both communal, and individual gardens, with indigenous local plants and food crops.

The Co-Op Canyon would occupy a full city block, housing up to 1,000 residents in a self-sustaining co-operative community of shared green spaces, gardens and renewable energy systems. Gardens would attract native birds and insects while providing productive green space in an urban setting.

The design would include Skip-Stop lobbies accessed via elevator that connect to a series of floors connected only by stairways – promoting exercise and community interaction. The lobbies’ floors also house community laundries, recreational areas and recycling stations.

Other features of the design: community kitchens, communal child care, community work spaces and renewable energy production from solar arrays, water capture and greywater re-use systems.