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Single-Family Can Be Urban, Too

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American housing design is in need of a paradigm shift. Recognizing generational preferences, increasing affordability constraints, and sustainable solutions are needed to start a new chapter in the planning of our cities, especially when it comes to housing. But that doesn’t mean the single-family home is dead. In fact, if we begin to build houses around the principles of density, efficiency, and flexibility, a modern version of the single-family home could bridge the gap between what incentivizes builders and developers, and the new reality faced by many potential homebuyers.

 Single-Family Homes in an Urban EnvironmentSeattle, 1947. Photo © Seattle Municipal Archives

 

The nation’s changing demographics are a driving force behind a new focus on the often overlooked needs of two explosive market segments: singles in both Gen Y and Baby Boomer cohorts. With over half of all American adults single1, it’s no surprise that 28% of new-home buyers (18% women and 10% men) are single2. Additionally, Generation Y (now between 20 and 34 years old) and Baby Boomers (currently between 50 and 68 years old) make up nearly two-thirds of homebuyers3. While the housing industry has begun looking at the opportunity to serve Baby Boomers, it often fails to completely understand the needs of Gen Y and single buyers.

 

Singles in the United States

 

While three-quarters of Americans across all cohorts still prefer to live in single-family detached homes4, it has become difficult for Gen Y and single buyers to find affordable, tailored homes in the current stock of home designs and builder offerings. Financial pressures are increasingly affecting young homebuyers’ decisions. Adjusted median household income has remained virtually unchanged since 19895 and is one of the factors behind increased credit card debt and high student loans. Combined, stagnant earnings and growing personal debt are reducing the buying power of many young Americans, which is reflected in a 12% drop in first-time homebuyer market participation in the past decade6. Because the conventional building model does not take these restrictions into account, it misses out on a large portion of potential homebuyers.

 

Median Household Income

Changing demographics, increasing financial constraints, and modern preferences create the perfect springboard for a new era of very different single-family offerings. For example, without losing the quality and appeal of a traditional single-family community, micro homes (under 1000 sq. ft.) can create neighborhoods of truly detached single-family homes at densities of over 20 units per acre. For builders, higher densities can mean lower land costs per unit; for developers, micro neighborhoods can yield significant margins in per-acre sales; and for buyers, the ability to afford a detached home can once again become an aspirational reality.

 

In our site planning tests, we found that micro neighborhood designs can fit between four and six specially-designed homes (ranging from 500 to 900 square feet) onto a quarter-acre lot, allowing for densities of 16, 20, or even 24 units per acre. This model gives developers the ability to create complete, intimate neighborhoods. By limiting the size of the offerings to no more than 20 to 30 homes per neighborhood, it becomes possible to drive rapid absorption by matching demand and opportunity on a finely calibrated scale. Developers can create a sense of buyer urgency with flexible pricing that they can adapt to demand, available inventory, and market pricing.

 

With diversifying preferences and changing economic conditions, increasing residential density is the next logical step in American home design for builders, developers, municipalities, and, most importantly, buyers. By adapting the single-family home to a more urban context, we can take these considerations into account and create walkable, authentic communities.

 

Sources:
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014
[2] National Associates of Realtors, Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 2011
[3] National Association of Realtors, Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends, 2014
[4] National Association of Realtors, National Community Preference Survey, 2013
[5] US Census Bureau, 2012
[6] National Association of Home Builders, Wall Street Journal, 2014

 

 

Implementing Streetcars: Lessons from Atlanta

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The streetcar fits a unique niche in our transportation system different from bus or light rail. It’s often described as an extension of the walking environment thanks to its ability to be used for short trips, while still connecting different neighborhoods within a city. However, as recent streetcar projects like the Downtown Loop in Atlanta have shown, their success requires patience.

streetcar_atlanta_downtown_loop

Photo © Matt Johnson via flickr

When to Implement Streetcars

In late 2014, Atlanta joined a growing number of US cities to add the modern streetcar to their available transit options. For Atlanta, the new Downtown Loop is the city’s first line since the original streetcar system closed in 1949. In a recent New York Times article, Keith T. Parker, the Chief Executive of MARTA, was quoted saying this about the new three-mile line:

“These are not projects for right now. These are projects for the future, and when you look around, the cities who we’re competing with around this nation and around the world, they’ve made investments in public transportation.”

This sentiment mirrors what we wrote in our previous post on streetcars: they are community builders. More than a mode of transportation, they aid in neighborhood revitalization. This means that cities can implement streetcars at strategic times and for specific purposes: to encourage transit-oriented development in new communities, to spur investment in underserved areas, or to provide a much-needed transportation alternative in bustling urban areas. No matter when streetcars are implemented in a city’s timeline, it takes time for them to become integrated into the urban landscape and into the habits of local residents and visitors—especially in places new to this type of fixed transit.

Where to Implement Streetcars

So perhaps it’s the growing pains of implementing a streetcar route in an existing urban fabric that has caused mixed reviews for Atlanta’s Downtown Loop. One notable piece was written by Atlanta magazine’s own Rebecca Burns, who chronicled her commute to work for an entire week using the new line. In addition to observing Atlanta’s overall lack of transportation options once at work, Burns’ biggest frustration was the speed of the streetcar: the line operates in regular vehicular traffic. While her ride provided shelter from the elements and a chance to catch up on email, in an auto-centric city of nearly half a million people, sometimes sitting in gridlock remains a reality.

streetcar_implementation_atlantaStill, a streetcar that operates in a regular traffic lane is not doomed to fail. One benefit of mixing the streetcar with cars is the ability to use an existing street lane without having to remove it. Taking out auto travel lanes can be controversial or impractical in many locations and completely new rails require additional planning and funding. However, in congested areas, an exclusive lane will make service not only faster but also more reliable and therefore more usable by non-tourist travelers.

Right now, the Atlanta Streetcar’s biggest challenge seems to be the need to prove its usefulness not only for tourists, but also for professional commuters, residents, and students. As the community grows around the new route and residents integrate it into their daily lives, the streetcar is sure to become an important cornerstone for downtown Atlanta.

 Photo © Central Atlanta Progress via flickr

Placemaking and Living Streets: A Maitland, FL Case Study

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Maitland, Florida, is a small city of about 15,000 residents. Located just north of Orlando, it is home to a network of museums, a popular independent movie theater that plays host to the annual Florida Film Festival, and beautiful parks. Despite the city’s amenities, one albatross remains: the lack of a cohesive, walkable center of activity. Now, with three potential projects in the pipeline for downtown Maitland, the City Center officials have been planning for since the 1990s may finally come to fruition.

 

Placemaking through Woonerf - Living StreetFor almost two decades, placemaking has been one of the community’s top priorities. Between 1998 and 2003, community workshops and designs by planners have solidified a vision for the city’s Town Square, complete with an in-depth set of design standards. From these efforts has sprung the city’s first new anchor: an urban city hall with an adjacent fire station.

 

With three development proposals planned for Maitland, creating a new city center is now closer to a reality than ever before. To optimize these new developments, city officials and designers will need to create a cohesive community gathering place.

 

Placemaking through Living Streets

 

For over a decade, Canin Associates has selected a University of Miami student to research an urban design topic each summer. In 2012, Gabriel Williams worked with Canin Associates staff and faculty advisor Jaime Correa to design downtown Maitland’s Independence Lane as a “Living Street” envisioning a striking and lively new center for the community. A Woonerf, the Dutch term for Living Street, is a shared street that prioritizes pedestrians while still allowing cyclists and drivers. Shared space, traffic calming, and very low speeds make these living streets beneficial to both placemaking and pedestrian safety.

 

In Woonerfs (or, more correctly, woonerven), automobile pathways are integrated to create a calm and safe residential environment, focusing on plantings, benches, and bike racks. Rather than having separate sidewalks, the entire width of Independence Lane would be designed to allow free pedestrian movement. The plan also shows this shared street continuing extended to connect to points further north and south.

 

Placemaking in Maitland, Florida - Orlando Urban Planners

 

With the former city hall slated for demolition, the team saw a perfect opportunity to place a public park on the city-owned land. Mixed-use buildings in an urban configuration could contain continuous ground floor retail overlooking the new park.

 

Placemaking Urban Planners in Maitland / Orlando, Florida

 

Tying together the existing urban fabric in a retrofit can be a challenge. To achieve stylistic and spatial cohesion, placemakers must juggle an existing arrangement of asymmetrical volumes, setbacks, and construction techniques. An urban plaza and a new contemporary building are designed to reconcile the elegant and classical proportions of the city hall with the modern geometry of the neighboring bank.

 

Today, with a fresh opportunity to take another leap towards an active city center, the City of Maitland has the chance to refocus on the importance of placemaking and master planning. Only if people truly feel welcome will this new district become successful.

 

 

 

Tactical Urbanism and Site Previtalization in New Communities

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Tactical urbanism is often seen as a strategy for existing communities. However, brand-new master-planned communities can benefit from tactical urbanism, too. Through previtalization, a new Main Street can spring to life in an authentic and economically feasible way.

Tactical Urbanism Site Previtalization in New, Master-Planned Communities

What is tactical urbanism?

Tactical urbanism is an umbrella term for a set of strategies to create or improve urban places incrementally. A hallmark of tactical urbanism is the use of lower cost, lightweight interventions. Communities implement these strategies as short-term measures with an eye towards establishing a track record of success.

As defined in the leading go-to guide, Tactical Urbanism 2: Short-Term Action, Long-Term Change (2012), tactical urbanism is a deliberate approach to community building that includes:

  1. A phased approach;
  2. Local ideas for local planning challenges;
  3. Short-term commitment and realistic expectations;
  4. Low-risk, with the possibility of a high reward; and
  5. The development of social capital between citizens, institutions, and non-profits.

What is site previtalization?

Tactical urbanists use site previtalization in the early stages of a community. The goal is to lay the groundwork for robust and authentic future developments by inhabiting the location of a future main street or civic space, incubating unique businesses, and/or bringing people together on the site. Different design tools and programming options provide a flexible approach to preliminary site activation.

The design tools for previtalization are varied. They range from prefabricated architecture (such as small cottages) to mobile vendors. Other indoor and outdoor spaces may be constructed on-site with recycled materials. For example, shipping pallets and containers can provide structural support. Tactical urbanists strategically organize these structures to create a semi-permanent business district.

Next, programming options attract residents to these new districts. Pop-up shops and open markets might happen daily, weekly, or monthly. Other efforts, including urban agriculture or temporary parks, occupy empty lots until they are ready for development. Often, previtalization efforts encourage retail micro-mixing (multiple businesses in the same space).

Tactical Urbanism Site Previtalization

How is site previtalization applied?

Generally, a full build-out of a new community takes years or decades. Now, imagine if the energy and excitement of a new, master-planned community could be brought to life in a matter of weeks. Through site previtalization, communities can forge their identities and incubate businesses before permanent buildings arrive at the scene.

Previtalization has many benefits for emerging districts. First, phasing can roll out a development in an economically conscious way. Temporary stands or markets create a unique shopping district before permanent buildings are financially supportable. Second, this flexibility attracts business owners by giving them a chance to test their concepts and incubate businesses in a lower-risk environment. Lastly, and most importantly, previtalization in partnership with future tenants and potential residents seeds an authentic sense of community.