Single Family Housing

As cities evolve architects are constantly searching for appropriate architectonic solutions, and in this book the authors present a systematic examination of innovative single-family houses and residential buildings in the context of presentday cities. The latest developments are reviewed in essays and thematic chapters discuss such topics as lowenergy building, the use of prefabricated materials, or low-budget building. A range of international examples from architects such as Wiel Arets, Shigeru Ban, Ben van Berkel, Kees Christiaanse, Philippe Gazeau, Frank O. Gehry, Steven Holl, Hans Kollhoff, Morger & Degelo, MVRDV, Jean Nouvel, Kas Oosterhuis, illustrate the subjects discussed. "Housing" and "Single-Family Housing" were previously published separately, each proving hugely popular. Now both volumes have been incorporated into a single, lowpriced edition.

Neither mass accomodation nor luxury villa, but an extraordinary variety of well designed middle-class family dwellings in Germany.

From Los Angeles to Boston and Chicago to Miami, US cities are struggling to address the twin crises of high housing costs and household instability. Debates over the appropriate course of action have been defined by two poles: building more housing or enacting stronger tenant protections. These options are often treated as mutually exclusive, with support for one implying opposition to the other. Shane Phillips believes that effectively tackling the housing crisis requires that cities support both tenant protections and housing abundance. He offers readers more than 50 policy recommendations, beginning with a set of principles and general recommendations that should apply to all housing policy. The remaining recommendations are organized by what he calls the Three S’s of Supply, Stability, and Subsidy. Phillips makes a moral and economic case for why each is essential and recommendations for making them work together. There is no single solution to the housing crisis—it will require a comprehensive approach backed by strong, diverse coalitions. The Affordable City is an essential tool for professionals and advocates working to improve affordability and increase community resilience through local action.

This smart, provocative look at how the American Dream of single-family homes, white picket fences, and two-car garages became a lonely, overpriced nightmare explores how new trends in housing can help us live better. Over the past century, American demographics and social norms have shifted dramatically. More people are living alone, marrying later in life, and having smaller families. At the same time, their lifestyles are changing, whether by choice or by force, to become more virtual, more mobile, and less stable. But despite the ways that today's America is different and more diverse, housing still looks stuck in the 1950s. In Brave New Home, Diana Lind shows why a country full of single-family houses is bad for us and our planet, and details the new efforts underway that better reflect the way we live now, to ensure that the way we live next is both less lonely and more affordable. Lind takes readers into the homes and communities that are seeking alternatives to the American norm, from multi-generational living, in-law suites, and co-living to microapartments, tiny houses, and new rural communities. Drawing on Lind's expertise and the stories of Americans caught in or forging their own paths outside of our cookie-cutter housing trap, Brave New Home offers a diagnosis of the current American housing crisis and a radical re-imagining of future possibilities.

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

Vancouver today is recognized as one of the most livable cities in the world as well as an international model for sustainability and urbanism. Single-family homes in this city are “a dying breed.” Most people live in the various low-rise and high-rise urban alternatives throughout the metropolitan area. The Death and Life of the Single-Family House explains how residents in Vancouver attempt to make themselves at home without a house. Local sociologist Nathanael Lauster has painstakingly studied the city’s dramatic transformation to curb sprawl. He tracks the history of housing and interviews residents about the cultural importance of the house as well as the urban problems it once appeared to solve. Although Vancouver’s built environment is unique, Lauster argues that it was never predestined by geography or demography. Instead, regulatory transformations enabled the city to renovate, build over, and build around the house. Moreover, he insists, there are lessons here for the rest of North America. We can start building our cities differently, and without sacrificing their livability.

The private single family house is still very much the preferred choice of home. Yet in recent years there have been many changes not only in the personal situations of the residents, their expectations and desires, but also in the rising costs of energy and raw materials. This has meant that issues such as multi-functionalism, the use of innovative building materials or energy-efficient building methods are increasing in significance. In this completely revised and expanded second edition these topical developments have been taken into consideration. The organisation and layout of the first volume, with its concise and detailed project documentation, has been retained. The authors introduce floor plan solutions using contemporary projects which bear in mind changing family structures. At the same time, the contributions provide an in-depth introduction to planning single family houses, from the design of the floor plan to useful tips for the realisation. In addition to this fundamental information, 22 projects are documented, providing ideas and inspiration for planners, students and clients. The international selection of projects highlights current trends in planning and designing single family housing and reveals the tried and tested basics.