Category Archives: Design & Planning
Codes for Courtyards
Cottage Courtyard developments are becoming enticing alternatives to prevailing single-family and condo development patterns. But how and where can they get built? What zoning allows for them? Are there specific codes to enable cottage courtyard development? While many cities have … Continue reading
Posted in Codes & Guides, Design & Planning, New Urbanism
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Jane Jacobs at 100: Ideas That Live On
I’m enjoying reading articles here, here and here about Jane Jacobs, who would have been 100 years old today. Born in 1916, she was a self-taught urbanist and citizen activist who championed walking-scaled, neighborhood-centered cities. Though she had no college … Continue reading
Posted in Design & Planning, Design Bones, Great Neighborhoods
Tagged community vitality, Jane Jacobs
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A 4-Micro-Unit House
Continuing the small house thread from our last post, we’ve been brainstorming into how tiny houses (< 350 SF) may be a viable housing option. Rather than being low-profile ‘outlaw’ houses, lets bring them into the neighborhood. Let them stand … Continue reading
Pocket Neighborhoods for Special Niches
We are currently working on a new community to provide safe and permanent housing for adults with intellectual, developmental and acquired disabilities. Over the years we’ve helped create pocket neighborhoods for singles and empty nesters, market-rate multi-generational buyers and folks … Continue reading
Posted in Design & Planning, Design Bones, Design for Disabilties, Living in Community
Tagged Luna Azul, Mark Roth
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Cohousing and Pocket Neighborhoods – What’s the Difference?
Cohousing has been taking hold across North America and around the world, offering an enticing option for people wanting to live in a more closely knit community. Some even call it a movement. Pocket Neighborhoods are being tossed around as … Continue reading
10 Ways to Create Community Where You Live
Building a community from scratch is daunting, but the good news is that vibrant communities can grow from existing neighborhoods over time through the actions of people who live there, often without much money being spent. Right here, right now: … Continue reading
Posted in Design & Planning, Great Neighborhoods, Living in Community
Tagged community, garden, neighbors, pocket neighborhood
6 Comments
The Good Porch
Summertime: a perfect time for porches. I grew up in a classic shingled bungalow with a wrap around porch. My sister’s family lives there now. The front porch faces the street and the lake (as many in Minnesota do); the … Continue reading
Posted in A Child's World, Design & Planning, Great Neighborhoods, Living in Community
Tagged pocket neighborhood, Porch
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Not Just Cute Cottages
Pocket Neighborhoods have received quite a bit of press since Ross Chapin Architects and The Cottage Company began building their communities in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. These intimate neighborhoods feature groupings of detached cottages and small homes clustered … Continue reading
Seeding the World with Ideas
If you’ve spent any time at all on this website, you’ll see that there is a lot of information here. The question people sometimes ask me is, “why are you giving away your best ideas?” My answer is that I’m … Continue reading