Yes of course. Intentional communities of like minded people are the alternative to atomarisation of strangers living next to strangers with fake smiles and talking behind the back as the standard social interaction.
Easier said then done, though in most cases, but worth it wherever possible.
Have you spent time around intentional communities? It's possible you're taking a looser meaning of the phrase than I am, but Intentional Communities have no shortage of toxicity and drama, especially since by their nature these communities filter for people for whom the 'default world' didn't work.
That's not to say the concept is bad, but it's very very easy for even a good group to rapidly devolve, the clearer heads quietly move away.
In the discussion of communities, I've come across the idea that it's better to organize around a purpose - say a farm cooperative or (historically) a religious cause. Sharing beliefs (being Like Minded) may not be enough for long term cohesion. Can you imagine living with your Blue sky cohort?
Rather than an “intentional community” which sounds kind of overbearing to me, I’d be happy to have some way to filter for houses/apartments that are simply in proximity to others who are at least open to making friends and want to be pleasant, neighborly, etc.
I don’t need or particularly want there to be any obligations or explicit organization facilitating this. When people are friendly and open, it happens naturally. You see someone walking the dog and strike up a conversation.
I guess if there was some way to anonymously self-identify as sharing this preference and it got enough traction, you could flag neighborhoods and even specific blocks with more of these people, and then the concentration would perhaps increase over time as people who value these things would pay a bit more to live in these areas.
If you live somewhere that's reasonably dense, this is possible. I live in a very walkable city that is also socially quite dense. Most of my social links are people who live a walk or a short bike ride away. During the warm months, if you are around town you will see people you know, and have the option of conversation.
Put simply, you feel like you live in a community without having built a commune or something.
Unfortunately it's kind of hard to tell what cities have this "social spatial density." There are denser urban areas that feel less communal, and far sparser ones that seem moreso, it's related to overall population density but not perfectly so.
Rather than what city, I'd say you need to find out what neighbourhoods in each city. I used to take a 1h commute to a community garden for the people there, instead of helping at the utilitarian community garden on my own block. Moving there would have been great but it wasn't affordable. Didn't prevent being treated like one of the neighbours each saturday!
"Have you spent time around intentional communities?"
Yes and I know what you are talking about, but I was indeed using it more in a loose meaning, like friends moving intentionally close together and living in houses next to each other and sharing common ressources like a sauna and take turns in babysitting. Not necessarily sharing one kitchen and bathroom together. But for some this also works, for me only with certain people.
"or (historically) a religious cause"
And that is still a thing.
Personally my common cause would be building open source technology together.
I visited a friend who, along with a dozen of their friends, bought a series of new build townhomes in a suburb of a major city. It was very, very cool.
Easier said then done, though in most cases, but worth it wherever possible.