If traditional suburbs shout that a man's home is his castle—moated by garage, driveway, and sweeping lawn—Issaquah Highlands insists that no man is an island. A few homes in Issaquah Highlands are constructed with the classic suburban snout—big garage out front. But even those are nestled on narrow streets with sidewalks. Instead of sprawling front yards, many of the homes cluster around common areas or alleys, and parks are sprinkled throughout. There are no cul de sacs.

The most charming and innovative portion of Issaquah Highlands may be the Crofton Springs development, where a stream runs over river rock among sedges and shrubs in a narrow lane between front porches. Detached garages face the rear, away from the stream. Instead of wasting the space above the garages, the builder topped them with small homes marketed as "carriage houses."

The Highlands pack in an average of about six units per residential acre—30 times as dense as much of the Eastside. That's part of what brought Chantal Stevens, who works for Sustainable Seattle, to the neighborhood three years ago. "I was drawn to the density of the development and the sense of community that came from the sidewalks and porches and closeness of houses, the parks and common areas," she says. "The community garden is really important to me." She walks to the Park-n-Ride for a daily bus trip to downtown that is quicker most days than from the U District.

The 2,400 homes (plus 300 rental apartments) in the neighborhood will eventually swell to between 3,200 and 4,000 homes. Prices start at $260,000 for a condo toward the bottom of the neighborhood's slope and go up to the millions for a custom home on a half-acre lot with sweeping views or a home on a two-acre lot that offers more privacy. A number of income-restricted units sold for as low as $170,000 and more low-income homes will be on the market shortly.