Posted on 12/31/2006 3:10:03 PM PST by Lorianne
Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are creating strategies to encourage the development of modest, more affordable houses ___ In these three Pacific Northwest cities, the progressive power of urban planning is taken very seriously, and concepts like livability and sustainability dominate the local civic culture to such an extent that to visit all three in rapid succession, as I did in October, is to drop in on another country. It’s not the United States or Canada, but a more highly evolved combination of the two.
In each city I was impressed by major developments, dramatic projects that promised to refresh the urban landscape in conspicuous ways.
It was in Seattle, however, where I saw the best small house. Dave Sarti, who co-taught a design-build studio at the University of Washington last year, had constructed an 800-square-foot house with a 160-square-foot double-height attached workshop. It’s a sweet fire-engine-red box planted in the backyard of a Central District home. I walked down the grassy driveway past an unremarkable blue traditional home and was surprised to see this Bauhaus cube where another yard might have a swing set.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...
A Lean-To or cave is always nice when you're striving to be "progressive."
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Oooo... wait till Bill Gates hears about THIS.
Interfering with how people want to live borders on stalinism.
I wouldn't have one of those cluster mansions myself (and they're all over Atlanta), but I don't want the idiots on the city council telling me that I HAVE to live in an 800 s.f. box . . . even if (or especially if) it has red Hardi-Panel siding!
Just for the record, our first house was an architect-designed, 820 s.f. passive solar contemporary. But WE chose to build that way, nobody told us to.
The PAC NW is MAJOR volcanic hazard / earthquake country.
The less building there of all kinds, the better.
Once again Businessweek giuves me comfort with another article proving that I made the right decision when I let my subscription lapse.
We'd love one, too. But we're not about to pay the taxes on it. And in my neck of the woods, they'd be plenty. Takes all the desire out of us to buy a bigger home.
I can't say I'm really keen on government planners driving this nonsense. Interfering with how people want to live borders on stalinism.HUH? Where is this mandated? And how would this be different than other government regulations (such as minimal lot size requirements, and federally-funded lending programs) that encourage people to build big houses?
My first house was under 500 sq.ft -- and it was a two-bedroom!
"Highly evolved", as in no longer living in freedom, but in a repressive nanny state, where only the leader of the collective knows what's good for you.
WA ping request
I agree. But in many locations zoning doesn't allow you to build smaller even if you want to. This, to me, is a problem and counter to property rights.
don't forget the 35k for the land....
I'm working on the same thing! I believe people will buy smaller well designed and well built homes.
I can see a subdivision where the largest house is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with no more than 1500 sq ft. That's the sort of neighborhood I grew up in.
I'm with AmericanMother 100%
After all, I am CONSERVATIVE in the old sense. My wife and I raised two great kids in a 890 sq ft. 2-bedroom one-bath HOME (not house). Both seem to be reasonably well adjusted 20-smethings who are graduating from "elite" schools (with no obvious ill effects from liberals).
We invested (spent) our money on other things besides square footage. BUT, it was our CHOICE. I don't mind others choosing differently, but the government shouldn't be subsidizing their mortgage either.
My two cents.
Oldplayer
Both absurd extremes.
I owned a 4-bedroom 1750 home as my first which was perfect.
Huge homes are constant work to keep clean, or you better be prepared to pay for maid service --- forever.
Being a slave to appearances does not attract me in the least. As opposed to having a life.
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