Garreau devotes much of the long article to mini-profiles of people -- the actor Robert Duvall, the guy who runs the Democratic Leadership Council Web site -- who have the ability to take their jobs with them to the outback.
The most interesting point, from a policy standpoint, is the argument that these areas are thriving because they skipped 20th century industrialization. They did well in agricultural times, but then skipped having factories and cul-de-sacs, preserving 50-acre spreads that appeal to affluent New Economy workers.
"This is not suburbanization," Garreau writes. "Quite the opposite. A lack of development increases these property values." As a result, he is able to quote a real estate broker as saying that the Piedmont Environment Council "is my friend."
The most recent Economist, incidentally, has a feature about suburban developments in England that are denser and more compact, principles long championed by Prince Charles.
Photo via Flickr, from DSutherland.
