Solitary in Suburbia...

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has an interesting piece on a growing trend:

Every so often, William Saunders snatches up a golf club and steps behind his Smyrna townhouse to whack balls down a line of neighboring lots.

He never hits another home and never hears complaints from neighbors. But that's an easy accomplishment. Most of Saunders' neighborhood is a ghost town, another fallout of metro Atlanta's housing market horrors.

One of just two residents in what was to be a 105-home development, the 54-year-old information technology manager strolls down lonely streets past silt fences, weedy lots, nearly 20 vacant homes and a sign cheerily announcing that a pool and cabana are "Coming Soon!"

While the story goes on to discuss some benefits of being alone in an almost unbuilt development, the reality is that increased crime is a real potential problem. Plus, they cost alot for the city This is not a good thing for anyone in any sense.