Core Tenets of a Village
Whether you find a new belonging along a well-worn path, or push your comfort zone to find a lifestyle you've always dreamt of, our villages always help you do one thing: break new ground in an old way.
Blackard's proprietary village-based real estate design philosophy is based on generations of lessons in how communities develop. Each living narrative that we create reflects a passion for opening the door to magical, inspiring village environments that last for generations and create connections between people that transcend real estate.
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Local
Modern-day villages are specifically tailored to overcome the setbacks of the rote development patterns of American real estate. Our villages start as low-risk nuclei, made up of uses that are proven in the market context. That nucleus is set up to grow with future phases that revolve around local/community need first and excess external market demand second. This in-built demand mitigates a variety of traditional risk factors in mixed-use and new urbanist development.
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Diverse
The Village model prioritizes the holistic long-horizon growth of the village over the accelerated timeline, which rewards a monolithic and opportunistic approach to use sizing. villages embrace a varied ownership structure that seeks balance between the quality and governance control of single-ownership and the long-term loyalty, wealth creation, and personality integration of granular ownership. These varied focuses not only increase stability in neighborhood-retail and residential uses, but they also increase the effective rents of adjacent assets.
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Evolved
The Village model designs from a basis in human ecology. Villages derive their usage ratios from historical patterns of human development and translate those lessons from history into the modern day context of real estate development. This, in addition to Blackard’s innovative approach to village management which enforces quality and design standards, sets the perfect foundation for the development of individual personalities and eventual community self-governance.
Want to know more about how we build villages?
The Village Process
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The Birth of a Village
This video illustrates the birth of a village, from inception to completion, and how the evolution process unfolds.
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Designing a Village
This video illustrates how to design a village and introduces the concept of use diversity and mix allocation.
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Death of the Village
This video illustrates how we’ve destroyed villages in America via excessive zoning and the grid system.
Featured: Subdivided America: Community Reimagined
Documentaries
Blackard's philosophy NeoRetroism is featured in award-winning Triple Horse Studio's full-length documentary Subdivided: America, which explores the consequences of conventional suburban sprawl and the urgent need for more human-centered development.
Click "See More" to see The Story of Adriatica: 20th Anniversary Edition
Wolf Lakes Village, Georgetown, TX
Land & Entitlement
From initial site control to shovel-ready ground, Blackard navigates the complex entitlement process with precision. Through Planned Developments, strategic zoning, and public-private coordination, we de-risk land early and unlock long-term value across every phase of growth.
Featured: Thoughtful Development on the Gulf Coast
Environmental
Blackard believes true progress requires protecting the environment, not sacrificing it. For example, along Galveston's coast, the firm chose long-term value by way of stewardship by preserving natural shorelines and creating new marine habitats through thoughtful development practices.
Adriatica Village Plaza Aerial, McKinney, TX
Master Planning
We approach master planning with a deep understanding of place, purpose, and long-term value creation. Every plan begins with a vision rooted in human-scale design, then evolves through thoughtful land use strategy, market alignment, and community character. It’s the foundation of everything we do — our bread and butter — shaping environments that are built to last and designed to matter.
Adriatica Village Plaza Aerial, McKinney, TX
Heritage Lakes, Frisco, TX
Residential
With decades of experience delivering thoughtfully designed residential communities, we bring a proven track record to every project — from early land planning through final delivery. Our approach goes beyond units and density; we create places with lasting identity, architectural integrity, and a true sense of belonging.