Skip to main content

Retirement looks even better with Serenbe, the community of the future

The golden years of your life have never looked quite this good. Bid adieu to the retirement complexes of yore and say “bon jour” to Serenbe. It’s described as a “visionary New Urbanist community” just outside Atlanta, Georgia, and it’s being heralded as the retirement village of the future.

Co-founded and developed by Steve Nygren, Serenbe is currently comprised of two villages, with a third one in the making. Mado, the latest hamlet to join the crew, is slated to include a cluster of more than 55 homes, all of which boast the latest tech to enable residents “to age in place.”

Recommended Videos

There will be a wellness center, aimed at integrating all medical and health needs of geriatric community members, and the goal is to “eliminate the ‘retirement community.'” a Serenbe spokesperson told Digital Trends. After all, she continued, “New trends suggest baby boomers want to age in multi-generational communities,” and Serenbe attracts residents in all stages of life.

Nygren, who is 70 years old himself, became a developer somewhat by accident. After spending two decades in charge of an Atlanta-based restaurant group, he switched gears, selling his interest and opening a bed and breakfast.  “I saw how the connection to nature changed [my wife and me] and our kids,” he told Fast Company. “It changed my value judgments about what’s important.”

So Nygren managed to obtain over 1,000 acres of land south of Atlanta, and set out to “build something more sustainable and soulful.” And he ended up with Serenbe.

The villages of this community are all centered around art, food, wellness, and education. Think of it as intentional living for the 21st century. Downtown centers boast art galleries, frequent performances, as well as farmer’s markets and farm-to-table restaurants. Shared public spaces are key to both Selborne and Grange, the first two hamlets in Serenbe, and Mado will abide by the same philosophy.

Rather than keeping grandparents quarantined in areas where their only company are folks of the same age, Mado aims to be multigenerational. “It’s like old towns used to be,” said Nygren. “There’s every size house, which allows for age and economic diversity.”

But there will be specific accommodations meant for older residents. For example, a number of cottages will be made exclusively for 55-and-older residents, with step-less entries, multiple-height kitchen work surfaces, and wider doors, staircases, and hallways. Moreover, houses will feature integrated electronics so that residents’ health and wellness stats can be monitored by way of wearables, GPS, and sensors. And these cottages will all be centered about a medicinal garden, a private clubhouse, and quarters for visitors. These aspects of Mado, Nygren said, will allow for easier “aging in place.”

So if you’re looking for a new place to call home in the later stages of your life, Serenbe in Atlanta may be something to check out.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Facebook’s automated hate speech detection is getting even better
fbi wants social media data facebook app mem2

Facebook’s proactive hate speech detection technology has gotten much better, according to a new report. 

The social network published the sixth edition of its Community Standards Enforcement Report on Tuesday, August 11. The big takeaway is that the company is getting better at detecting hate speech instances. The report looked at data from the second quarter of this year. 

Read more
This smart display alternative just added a powerful new feature to help track your chores
A person using the Skylight.

Skylight is responsible for a variety of smart display alternatives with a focus on organization and schedule planning. Last summer, it launched the premium Cal Max -- a 27-inch smart calendar that we called a “streamlined smart display alternative.” Since its arrival, Skylight has continued to roll out new features to the device, and now you’ll find a powerful feature called Routines available across the Skylight Calendar lineup. Designed to simplify chores and build good habits for the entire family, it’s a unique new feature that changes how you interact with the display.

The idea behind Routines is simple -- offer visual feedback and an easy-to-use interface to make it easier than ever to keep track of (and complete) all your chores. These can be set up on a recurring schedule, allowing you to program in everything from a quick 15 minutes of reading before bedtime or a few minutes each morning for your kids to brush their teeth. Routines can be customized with various emojis and color-coding to help keep track of them, and a fun confetti animation is triggered once they’re complete.

Read more
Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite: which is the better smart lock?
A person opening the Yale Assure Lock 2 with their Apple Watch.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 and Lockly Vision Elite are among the best smart locks on the market. One offers a streamlined design and multiple formats, while the other is packed with features that make it an all-in-one powerhouse. Rest assured -- you can’t go wrong choosing either product. But there are some big differences between the two, and one is likely a better fit for your preferences than the other.

With that in mind, here’s a closer look at the Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite. From pricing and design to installation and notable features, we’ll cover everything you need to know before making a purchase.

Read more