Eldon Beck has been developing village projects in mountain areas for the last forty years. The overriding philosophy of his work dictates that nature is the textbook for the village design. The village can, and should be, the place where people connect to nature. Buildings are massed and scaled to complement the pedestrian system, and public places and public landscape are the dominant features of the pedestrian village.

Beck has designed villages in Whistler, British Columbia; Mont Tremblant, Quebec; River Run Village in Keystone, Colorado; Stratton, Vermont; The Village at Squaw Valley, California; The Village at Copper Mountain, Colorado; Les Arcs, France; and a riverside village at the base of the Remarkables in Queenstown, New Zealand. He presents compelling evidence that a strong landscape, respect for that landscape, and good design create significant, long-lasting social and economic benefits for communities.