Maybe only 25 percent of homebuyers prefer these environment-friendly communities to the average suburban home, Logan said, but the supply is more like 1 percent -- leaving a big, profitable niche.

CNN: Gridlock drives developers to design wiser cities

Garden gnomes have served as symbols of defiance on many levels as guardians of the natural environment against intending predators, or simply as cheerleaders for the colourful suburban plot, under threat from student japesters in France or, more seriously, from the fashionable proponents of ever more sophisticated garden design.

ECONOMIST: Free that gnome

Just one-third of those surveyed who live in the typical suburban setting said they would prefer to live in a "smart-growth" environment.

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