Housing Design Quality


Book Description

This book directly addresses the major planning debate of our time - the delivery and quality of new housing development. As pressure for new housing development in England increases, a widespread desire to improve the design of the resulting residential environments becomes evermore apparent with increasing condemnation of the standard products of the volume housebuilders. In recent years central government has come to accept the need to deliver higher quality living environments, and the important role of the planning system in helping to raise design standards. Housing Design Quality focuses on this role and in particular on how the various policy instruments available to public authorities can be used in a positive manner to deliver higher quality residential developments.




Design Quality in New Housing


Book Description

This book addresses the need for an in-depth study into design quality in new housing. The wider implications of policy and design are examined through a series of case studies of new housing projects in the UK and the Netherlands. Dutch interdisciplinary design and modern methods of construction are widely considered to be of the highest quality from which much can be learned and understood. This new guide offers architects the best practice for the design, policy and construction of new homes. The author considers proposals for the Thames Gateway and government incentives to create better quality housing, including the £60,000 house and design reviews. The wider implications of skills and training of architects, planners, design professionals and those parties involved in housing are also addressed.




Pretty Good House


Book Description

Pretty Good House provides a framework and set of guidelines for building or renovating a high-performance home that focus on its inhabitants and the environment--but keeps in mind that few people have pockets deep enough to achieve a "perfect" solution. The essential idea is for homeowners to work within their financial and practical constraints both to meet their own needs and do as much for the planet as possible. A Pretty Good House is: * A house that's as small as possible * Simple and durable, but also well designed * Insulated and air-sealed * Above all, it is affordable, healthy, responsible, and resilient.




Housing Design Quality


Book Description

This book directly addresses the major planning debate of our time - the delivery and quality of new housing development. As pressure for new housing development in England increases, a widespread desire to improve the design of the resulting residential environments becomes evermore apparent with increasing condemnation of the standard products of the volume housebuilders. In recent years central government has come to accept the need to deliver higher quality living environments, and the important role of the planning system in helping to raise design standards. Housing Design Quality focuses on this role and in particular on how the various policy instruments available to public authorities can be used in a positive manner to deliver higher quality residential developments.




Strong Towns


Book Description

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.




9 Ways to Make Housing for People


Book Description

Combining how-to with why-to, '9 Ways to Make Housing for People' lays out the core principles that David Baker Architects uses to help communities develop great urban housing. Written for architects and residents - as well as officials, developers, and planners - this book is a kit of parts: nine proven strategies for getting the best outcomes for housing in urban contexts. Detailed explorations and comprehensive case studies show how to apply and combine the principles creatively to meet the needs of sites, people, and budgets. Pragmatic and imaginative, this book is a modern manual for urban housing - getting it built and making it great.




A House is Not Just a House


Book Description

A House Is Not Just a House argues precisely that. The book traces Tatiana Bilbao's diverse work on housing ranging from large-scale social projects to single-family luxury homes. These projects offer a way of thinking about the limits of housing: where it begins and where it ends. Regardless of type, her work advances an argument on housing that is simultaneously expansive and minimal, inseparable from the broader environment outside of it and predicated on the fundamental requirements of living. Working within the turbulent history of social housing in Mexico, Bilbao argues for participating even when circumstances are less than ideal--and from this participation she is able to propose specific strategies learned in Mexico for producing housing elsewhere. A House Is Not Just a House includes a recent lecture by Bilbao at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, as well as reflections from fellow practitioners and scholars, including Amale Andraos, Gabriela Etchegaray, Hilary Sample, and Ivonne Santoyo-Orozco.




The Housing Design Handbook


Book Description

Everyone deserves a decent and affordable home, a truth (almost) universally acknowledged. But housing in the UK has been in a state of crisis for decades, with too few homes built, too often of dubious quality, and costing too much to buy, rent or inhabit. It doesn’t have to be like this. Bringing together a wealth of experience from a wide range of housing experts, this completely revised edition of The Housing Design Handbook provides an authoritative, comprehensive and systematic guide to best practice in what is perhaps the most contentious and complex field of architectural design. This book sets out design principles for all the essential components of successful housing design – including placemaking, typologies and density, internal and external space, privacy, security, tenure, and community engagement – illustrated with case studies of schemes by architecture practices working across the UK and continental Europe. Written by David Levitt and Jo McCafferty – two recognised authorities in the field – and with contributions from more than twenty other leading practitioners, The Housing Design Handbook is an essential reference for professionals and students in architecture and design as well as for government bodies, housing associations and other agencies involved in housing.




Accessible Housing


Book Description

"Accessible Housing considers the role and significance of house builders in influencing the design and construction of accessible housing that can meet the needs of disabled people. Its primary focus is the speculative house building process, and the construction of private (for sale) dwellings. The book describes and evaluates the socio-institutional political, and technical relations that underpin the design and construction of housing. These, so it is argued, shape builders' reluctance to design and construct housing that is flexible to accommodate variations in bodily needs and performance." -- Book jacket.




Inclusive Housing a Pattern Book


Book Description

An invaluable resource for designing communities that accommodate social diversity and provide equitable opportunities for all residents. Inclusive Housing focuses on housing that provides access to people with disabilities while benefiting all residents and that incorporates inclusive design practices into neighborhood and housing designs without compromising other important design goals. Emphasizing urban patterns of neighborhood development, the practices outlined here are useful for application to all kinds of housing in all types of neighborhoods. The book addresses trends that have widespread significance in the residential construction market and demonstrates that accessible housing design is compatible with the goals of developing livable and healthy neighborhoods, reducing urban sprawl, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and ensuring that the benefits of thoughtful urban design are equitably distributed. Inclusive Housing recognizes that to achieve the goals of urbanism, we must consider the total picture. The house must fit on the lot; the lot must fit in the block; and the block must fit with the character of the neighborhood. Its context-sensitive approach uses examples that cover a wide range of housing types, styles, and development densities. Rather than present stock solutions that ignore the context of real projects and design goals, it explores how accessibility can be achieved in different types of neighborhoods and housing forms, all with the goal of achieving high-quality urban places.