Vala m wolfson_thesis_jan2009

A Walk in the Neighborhood:

Blending suburban and urban values to Master of Architecture Program
The Boston Architectural College
create architecture that allows for family January 2011
friendly housing in the city.

Candidate: Michael Vala Jr.

Thesis Advisor: Denise Dea

Director of Distance M.Arch Thesis: Michael Wolfson

Candace, without your patience and understanding, this would not have been
possible. I can never repay you for all the times you’ve had to be a counselor to me, and
have had to listen to me discuss my struggles and my small epiphanies. You have been
and continue to be my inspiration, not to mention the love of my life.

To my sons, Wesley, Aiden, & Miles, you are all still too young to understand
why I have spent so much time huddled on my computer over the past months, but I hope
that someday you do. I’m looking forward to more movie nights, bike rides, and back yard
baseball that have been lacking recently

Thanks to my advisors and classmates for all their feedback and encouragement
throughout this process. It’s been quite a trying experience, but I would do it all over
again if I had you all to lean on the second time around.

I’d like to extend a special thanks to Jason & Stacey for all their additional
motivation and encouragement. I feel like I’ve gained two true and life long friends through
this process, and I hope that we can all get together for a beer sometime soon.

I would also like to thank my parents & siblings for being so supportive of my endeavors
throughout the years. Without your guidance and assistance, I would not be the person
I am today.

DEDICATION 3

IndIvIdual

A neighborhood allows the people who live
there to make connections to many different
people, places, and things, extending their
personal experience without extending the
physical distance to those things.

6

THESIS STATEMENT 9
INTRODUCTION 11
CONCEPT 15
TERMS OF CRITICISM 21
METHODOLOGY 23
LEXICON 25
PRECEDENTS 27
DESIGN 41
SALES BROCHURE 53
PROCESS & DEVELOPMENT 73
CONCLUSION 159
IMAGE CREDITS 163
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 167

TABLE OF CONTENTS 7

Through the blending of SuBurBAN and
urBAN values architecture can be created that
allows for family friendly housing in the city.

A NEIGHBOrHOOD can exist anywhere, but
a successful neighborhood must have the right mixture
of housing and commercial space so that people
can feel at ease in their home, yet have most of the
functions necessary for daily life close-by. Through the
use of efficient, thoughtful design, a new type of mixed
use neighborhood can be introduced where previously
there was nothing, a place which combines some of the
spatial concepts from the suburbs, such as a private
yard and an individual or customizable entry; with
urban concepts, such as the ‘residence over the store’
and being virtually fully walkable. The combination of
these two worlds creates a paradigm shift in city living
- no longer reserved for young professionals with no
children or empty nesters, the city becomes a place
where raising children is preferred over the suburb; a
place where the proximity to places of business is a
major selling point, where culture and entertainment are
within a few moments of walking rather than driving.

THESIS STATEMENT 9

I see this portion of downtown Columbus as a piece of the
city that is missing - I’m proposing putting a piece in its
place that fits but is different than what was there before.

10

[SuB]urBAN NEIGHBOrHOOD: or special events. Children are tied to their immediate
After World War II - the American Dream was defined neighborhood - dependant on their parents to drive them
as home ownership, a place to raise children, a place to everywhere.
call your own. When the GI’s began returning from war,
the suburbs were built to be that place. Families flocked Trips to the grocery store, the cafe, or the hardware
to these clusters of housing located further and further store all require an automobile to complete. While many
away from the city, leaving the average American city to people enjoy using their cars to get places, by making
become a ghost town after 6 PM. The desire to locate them a requirement, it takes some of the enjoyment out
in these isolated islands of housing and separate from of driving.
the city, included a perception of safety, a desire to have
the children attend good public schools, and a feeling of Not everything about suburban living is negative, but there
ownership. are drawbacks to the disconnection from the downtown
area - the physical distance causes traffic congestion,
While these ideas of ownership and safety are appealing people are slaves to the automobile, children can become
and universal, the idea that they can only be achieved isolated, and neighbors might not associate the same way
in the suburbs is outdated. Not only are the suburbs they potentially could. When a person can enter and leave
not providing the safety that many families look for, they their house without any interaction with the outside (in the
also are a source of isolation and a dependence on the house, into the garage, into the car, out of the garage, and
automobile. This causes increasing traffic, increasing reversed when returning, there is no chance for interaction
emissions from the vehicles, traffic congestion, etc. between neighbors.

City life has dwindled except in major cities, leading to The suburbs do offer a chance for people to put their
dying metropolitan areas and sprawling suburbs. People personal stamp on a small piece of land - a sense of
feel less connected with the city they are local to, because ownership. But at what cost?
it’s not necessary to actually go downtown except for work

INTrODuCTION 11

Cities are perceived as a place for empty nesters or young someone who believes the suburbs are more appropriate
professionals without children. By changing this perception to raise children because of the quality of the schools and
and providing a wider variety of housing, activity in the city because in the suburbs you typically get a private yard
could be revived beyond the workday, traffic congestion for the kids to play in. My wife is also a fairly private
from the city center out to the suburbs can be cut back, person, and she feels she gets a better chance to monitor
and the city could become a viable option for living again. her interaction with the public in our current (suburban)
Providing housing which allows residents to feel like situation. Architecture has the chance to influence the
they can take ownership and have some individuality, as spatial factors in her preference, while it has less to do
well as providing for necessary retail, commercial, and with the quality of schools in our area.
entertainment areas can begin this city revitalization.
So, if there was a neighborhood in the city that provided
The concept of downtown living for everyone is interesting the outdoor space that my wife desires, the opportunity
for multiple reasons. We have a duty to future generations to control her privacy or interaction with the public, and
of people to take care of this planet, and living a more we could assume that the city schools are equal to the
localized, centralized life can save resources and lower suburban schools, we could live downtown. We would
pollution - a more efficient lifestyle. be better stewards of the environment if we didn’t have to
drive everywhere (as we do now), we would be in better
There is a personal side to this as well: I currently live physical shape without much effort just due to walking
in the suburbs for two significant reasons: first, because most of the time, and we could potentially have more free
the schools where we live are more highly rated than the time that is currently used driving to and from the store and
city school district, and second because my wife prefers other daily tasks, since it would all be more centralized.
the suburban lifestyle. I would have to have a very good
argument to convince her to move to the city, at least Essentially, we need to mesh the best parts of the

until our kids are grown and living on their own. She is SuBurB with the best parts of the CITy.

12

sports/
activities
school

shopping/
retail

home
work

Diagram showing the extended area that is
covered by daily suburban life

Part of daily life for a suburbanite is driving around,
often with hundreds of others at the same time, in
slow moving traffic.

INTrODuCTION 13

Create a neighborhood which has
some of the spatial qualities of
personal space or relationships
to neighbors in the suburbs, while
meshing it with the city.

CONCEPT 15

SuBurBAN
In the SuBurB, the housing forms vary, but
generally are similar and fall into three categories: The
two-story, the ranch, or the split level being the most
common. Suburban layouts tend to be less likely to
adhere to a grid than in the city, however there is an 1
order to the way that suburban neighborhoods are laid
out. Suburbs include open space around the house,
giving each house a yard, and a sense of personal
space.
2
The urBAN housing form can take many shapes,
but mostly can be divided into two categories - the flat
or the town home. The flat can be stacked as low rise
or high rise apartments; while the town home is usually
grouped together to form smaller clusters of housing
and mostly has street level access for each unit. Due
to the efficiency that a regular grid offers, many town 3

home clusters are arranged to some kind of regular
pattern.

To take the two types of housing and add commercial
space, the layout could be arranged so that there is
space around each house, but it’s set up in an efficient
manner to adhere to the city aesthetic. This is the
NEIGHBOrHOOD.

16

NEIGHBOrHOOD urBAN

4 5

6 7

MAIN STREET

8

CONCEPT 17

To compare one to one, the two
situations (a SuBurB and
the CITy) are laid out side by
side, at the same scale, and shown
with the approximate time to walk
a certain distance overlaid. The
suburban map shows how little is
within walking distance - there are
a lot of people (houses) but not a
lot of attractions (business, culture,
etc). However, looking at the city,
there are many attractions, but not
as many homes.

The city

CONCEPT 19

Is the NEIGHBOrHOOD suitable
for families?

Does it provide most (if not all) amenities that the
SuBurB provides?
Does it preserve the character of downtown
by acknowledging the context of the existing
urBAN fabric
Does it allow for residents flexibility/change and
growth?
“PEDESTRIAN POCKET”
“A simple cluster of housing, retail space, and offices
Does it allow for multiple methods of interaction between within a quarter mile walking radius of a transit system.”

residents? -Pedestrian Pocket Book, page IX

Does it provide outdoor spaces that are acceptable
play/recreation/relaxation spaces? 4 key components

Do the place and spaces created by the design -low rise, high density housing
encourage an affirmative answer to the question, -mixed use ‘main street’
“would you live downtown if you had the opportunity to
-light rail transit
live here?”
-regional shopping

20

Collage showing a mixture of outdoor activities that draw
people together.

TErMS OF CrITICISM 21

SuBurBAN, urBAN,
Define what
and NEIGHBOrHOOD mean and how
they relate to each other.

Create a catalog of images that describe the
definitions.

Study housing precedents.

Collage those images to illustrate the concept of a new
type of mixed use NEIGHBOrHOOD.
Create design schemes that incorporate spatial ideas
from the SuBurB and mesh them with the
CITy .

Collage over those schemes to continue to expand
on how the spatial and physical aspects define the
perception of a NEIGHBOrHOOD .

Work at various levels of detail (ranging from master
plan to block to unit scale).

22

urBAN - Where someone could live
and access most of their daily needs and wants
without the need for an automobile. Does not
necessarily need to be a major metropolitan
area.

SuBurBAN - A less centralized place
where it’s a necessity to have an automobile
for daily use. Very few things are accessible
by walking. Housing is usually single family
detached style homes. Through the homes
being detached, people have the impression of
more personal space.

NEIGHBOrHOOD - A mix of
urban and suburban; combining the walkability
of the city with the more individual spatial
features of the suburb. Includes residential
areas, retail, commercial, service amenities,
community spaces, etc, within a 20 minute
walking radius (approx. 1/2 mile radius)

24

PrECEDENTS
The following housing types were studied and helped
to define some examples of medium to high density
housing that have been designed and built throughout
history. Studying historical and contemporary precedents
allowed me to learn about the methods that architects
have used to provide housing in various configurations
and use that information to form opinions about the
spatial make up of successful housing types.

PrECEDENTS 27

APArtMent Dwellings
One of the most common urban housing styles is the
apartment - a building broken up into multiple units,
usually for rent. Typically one or two bedrooms, a
small living space, a kitchen, bathroom or two, and
other necessities. Modern apartments can range from
the most spartan of living, to luxurious multi-story units,
but because they are locked in as a piece of the whole
(the building), they don’t allow for a lot of flexibility or
change.

28

Unit Lower level floor plan

Unit Upper level floor plan
The Stuyvesant on East 18th Street In New York - 1869
by Richard Morris Hunt*

Stuyvesant Plan

* French, p. 10

PrECEDENTS 29

squAres/CourtyArDs

In an attempt to give residents a better chance for nat-
ural light and better ventilation, courtyard housing be-
came popular at the end of the 19th/early 20th century.
Allowing for natural light on two sides of a dwelling, the
spaces inside became more desirable. The courtyards
themselves were seen as “enclosed, impressive gar-
dens, often with fountains and lawns. This introverted
form is reflected in a programme that provided for all
the tenants’ needs, including parking, a gymnasium,
restaurant and shops.”* (French)

The images to the right are an example of courtyard
housing gives a good example of why courtyard
housing is popular - it provides an inward focus much
like a suburban neighborhood does.

* French, p. 54

30

Graham Court, New York, 1901, Clinton and Russell *

* French, p. 56

PrECEDENTS 31

MoDernist Housing

Another new housing type of the early 20th century
was the movement toward “a new kind of urbanism -
high rise buildings with high-speed transport systems.”*
(French) The architects of the early 20th century were
focusing to “open up the streets to more light and
better air circulation”** and the terraced house became
popular. This focus on providing a more comfortable
and healthy environment is still a strong drive for
designers today. While this method does provide more
natural lighting and ventilation into the interior of units,
the compromise was that due to their more vertical
nature, the housing relied on elevators and entries off
of a common corridor on the interior of the building.

* French, p. 13
** French, p. 13

32

Stepped apartment block, rue des Amiraux, Paris, Henry Sauvage, The proposed La Citta Nuova by Antionio Sant’Elia - 1914*
1916-27*

* French, p. 12 * French, p. 13

PrECEDENTS 33

ConteMPorAry PreCeDents

Late 20th century and early 21st century projects have
worked to create housing in urban areas that work for
a variety of demographics.

The first example is a multifamily housing complex in
Graz, Austria - Schiefstatte by Szyszkowitz.Kowalski in
1999.* (images on opposite page) The site is located
on the edge of town so that the housing gets access
to greenspace around it, making it feel more suburban
than it is. Residents can individually access their
homes, and each provides a feeling of separation
while working as a collection of houses. The access
stair defines the clusters of units, then from there, each
unit’s entry is accessed, making the entry to a home
one of 2 or 4 rather than one of 10 or 12 - it lowers the
scale of entry, and creates a sense of individuality.

Example #1
Schiefstate
Graz, Austria
Designer/Planner: Szyszkowitz Kowalski
* French, p. 26-29

34

Images from New Urban Housing

PrECEDENTS 35

ConteMPorAry PreCeDents (Cont’D)

Another project that stood out and embodied principles
of urban/people centered design is Town House,
Wimbergergasse in Vienna, Austria by Delugan_Meissl
Associated Architects, 2001.* (images of opposite
page) The interesting thing about this project was how
the design incorporates green space and office space
all in close proximity to the living spaces. Residents
can easily access greenspace; and if they work in the
offices, are seconds away from home while at work.
The integration of multiple functions will help ensure
that there will almost always be some sort of interaction
happening, making the space work effectively as a
community.

Example #2
Town House Wimbergergasse
Vienna, Austria
Designer/Planner: Delugan_Meissl
Associated Architects
* French, p. 76-79

36

Images from New Urban Housing

PrECEDENTS 37

ConteMPorAry PreCeDents (Cont’D)

This housing development, built on shipping docks and
bounded by water (which lent itself to the use of some
very dynamic bridge forms), encompasses many of the
features I think are important to city dwelling. The fa-
cades of the buildings are diverse - each house allows
the people who live there to have a sense of pride and
individualism about their house. There is a mixture of
housing types in the neighborhood - from apartments
to town homes to flats. The neighborhood encourages
walking through its narrow streets, while not totally ig-
noring the need for the residents to have access to a
vehicle.
The factor which becomes most influential though, is Master Plan, each color represents a different housing type
that this housing was intended for middle income fami-
lies - not the young professionals without kids or the
empty nesters so often targeted by urban developers.

Example #3
Borneo Sporenburg
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Designer/Planner: West 8

38

Although the aesthetic changes, the spacing is what The ‘whale’ - apartment building, brings a variety to the housing
becomes a pattern. types.

The alleys provide parking for the residents.

PrECEDENTS 39

SITE
The site studied in this section was chosen because of
the benefit it could gain by an intervention. While it is
specific to Columbus, Ohio, the site could be located in
almost any city in America.

DESIGN 41

The site of the project is in the southwestern corner of
Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The area is mostly surface
parking, with some buildings that have come into a
state of disrepair. The area is not heavily populated;
during site visits, it was rare to see more than one or
two other people, other than construction workers who
were working on the river bank project nearby. The
site is located just north of Interstate 70, just east of
the Scioto river, and west of High Street (one of the
main streets in Columbus). To the north of the site is
a new development of town homes, marketed toward
young professionals. The site is flanked by two parks -
on the west a riverfront park (Bicentennial Park) which
connects to a greenway that is to open in the spring
of 2011 (called the Scioto Mile). Immediately to the
northeast of the site is “Columbus Commons” - a new
park that is being constructed on the property where
City Center Mall once stood - the 9 acre park will house
a band shell on it’s northern edge and a carousel on
the opposite end. The site is about a half mile south of
the heart of Columbus’ main entertainment district, the
Arena District - within a 15-20 minute leisurely walk.

42

maps from Microsoft “Bing”
SITE

SITE 43

the site with some key views
1-a nice view of the scioto river - the natural beauty of a river adds balance to a
neighborhood situated in the city.
2-typical of the site, mostly parking, with small, unrelated buildings scattered
about. A more successful site would create sense of cohesion rather than being
so disconnected.
3-the new Franklin County Courthouse with the existing courthouse in the
background.

44

By doing a quick site vicinity mapping diagram, I studied
the social, utility, entertainment, and commercial
functions available to the residents. What I noticed
is lacking the most would be a market or grocery
store - definitely something that a downtown resident
who wants to use the car as little as possible would
need. There is ample green space, but it is not all
connected very well - there are empty surface lots and
abandoned buildings that interrupt the connection. The
new neighborhood should accentuate the connection
between the elements of the city.

Diagram showing the change in density between the city of Columbus, and a
suburban area - Columbus is approximate three times more dense than it’s
suburban areas.

46

Mapping of some of the existing commercial, retail,
cultural, and civic points around the city - done to
define what sorts of functions could bolstered or
would need to be added by a new neighborhood.

SITE 47

The town homes just to the north of the site are
fairly new. The biggest problem with them is that the
sidewalk is passive. If there was a way to activate it so
that people would use it for more than just getting from
one point to another, these homes could work better.
The ‘after’ image on the opposite page shows how the
sidewalk can be activated by adding features like trees
& greenery, providing a place for people to congregate
and socialize, giving more life to the street level in front
of the residences. The addition of those items changes
the sidewalk, softening it and making it more inviting.

“before”

48

“after”

SITE 49

To envision how the neighborhood would be activated
by it’s buildings, I did a series of collages, similar to the
one with the town homes from the previous page. By
inserting some of the spatial ideals from suburban life
into the images of the city, I had hoped to form opinions
on what would make a good neighborhood. I concluded
that not only does a site need to be active for it to be a
desirable place to live and work and play, but it needs
to have the ability to be flexible.

Most importantly, I understood that the area I would be
designing happens outside of the house - the floor plan
of a home may be important to the person or people
who live there, but it’s not relevant to the neighborhood
as a whole. The space between the buildings is what
becomes the neighborhood.

50

Collage of suburban and urban being meshed together to
form the theoretical neighborhood.

SITE 51

SALES BrOCHurE
To summarize my thesis ideas, I developed a sales
brochure that showcases how a neighborhood can be
created in the city that bridges suburban and urban
values that people associate with each.

SALES BrOCHurE 53

Capital View
at Riversouth
Now is the time to do what you’ve
been thinking of for a while. You’ve
talked to your friends and coworkers
about how your commute downtown
from the suburbs is such a hassle.
You like your car, but do you really
like just sitting there in traffic each
day? Don’t you wish you could
spend more time with your family,
and less time commuting back and
forth? So, do you want to do
something about it?

Make the move to the city - to
Capital View - you will have the
opportunity to be a part of something
huge - you’ll meet people, be close
to culture and dining and work, and
be contributing to the revitalization
of a great city.

City living,
for everyone.
Capital View offers you the
chance to make connections to
your community through a close-
knit group of homes & businesses.
The neighborhood is comprised
of residential units woven into
the streetscape that we’re used
to in the city - storefronts, cafes,
restaurants, and local businesses.
This mingling of public and private
provides a sense of connection for
the people who live or work in the
neighborhood.

Capital View furnishes people
a chance to live the downtown
life with a small town feel. Short
walks to the park or to the center of
downtown, to the Arena District and
Short North provide the area with
unlimited entertainment, cultural,
and shopping possibilities.

make connections to
your community

There’s no
place like
home. Modern design mixed with
traditional spaces create a sense
of comfort in the city for people
who are used to a more suburban
way of life. A fusion of two distinct
styles - the contemporary city
condo and the idealized suburban
house - the residences at Capital
View are designed to fit their
context and provide a place for a
new kind of downtown dweller; the
one who has never felt like the city
had something to offer them.

Each unit is arranged so that it has
it’s own private outdoor space, a
private entry, and plenty of views
of the city. A common courtyard
provides a space for community
events, as well as some simple
time outside with the family dog.

a fusion of two
distinct styles

think
“Green”
With two large parks nearby - the
southern tip of the Scioto Mile/
Bicentennial Park and Columbus
Commons - along with the generous
courtyards that each block offers,
there are numerous opportunities
to experience the outdoors right
within the city. Take the dog for a
walk along the Scioto River, go to
a concert in Columbus commons,
or just relax in the grass in the
courtyard behind your house.

The parks help to strike a balance
between man and nature in the
city, giving a sense of quiet to an
otherwise busy atmosphere.

a balance between
man and nature

Ultimate
recreation
resource Nourish your body and mind in one
location. The community center,
part of a renovated parking garage,
provides residents with a wide
variety of options for fitness, family
fun, or free time.

Housing a gym, an indoor swimming
pool, racquetball courts, and studios
where fitness classes are held,
it satisfies any health conscious
resident’s needs.

Another part of the center contains
an arcade, rentable community
rooms for parties, and a meeting
space.

Outdoor attractions include a
mountain bike path, high ropes
course, and a climbing wall for the
extreme sports fan.

Living the
night life
Experience Restaurant Week (http://
restaurantweekcolumbus.com/) on your
own street. Some of Columbus’
finer dining experiences are now
along side some of the more low
key casual hang-outs, allowing the
residents of Capital View to taste
what the city has to offer without
leaving their neighborhood.

The aromas from the variety of
establishments will blend together,
enticing you to come try a new
cuisine or just fall back on a tried
and true favorite dish.

taste what the city
has to offer

Culture Club

With the historic Southern Theater
just a block to the east and the
grand Ohio Theater a few blocks
north, the arts are right out your
front door.

The center of science and industry
(COSI) museum to the west, the
main branch of the Columbus
Library a few blocks east, the
Audubon center to the south, and
the art galleries & small music
venues in the Short North all offer
a plethora of cultural experiences.

9
12
The Short North
Columbus Metropolitan Library

10
13
COSI
The Ohio Theater

11
Grange Insurance 14
Audubon Center The Southern Theater

a plethora of cultural
experiences

A shop-aholic’s
dream
A wide variety of shopping choices
are located right in the neighborhood
- all within walking distance from
anywhere you might be in the
area.

Not only are there boutique stores
and specialty stores right in the
neighborhood, the location allows
you to take an easy walk to the
Short North for more shopping for
things like art or music at the many
galleries or record stores located
there.

a wide variety of
shopping choices

Location,
location,
location. Work downtown. Play downtown.
LIVE downtown.
Capital View is located in the Riversouth
district of Columbus. Formerly home to
the Erie Canal’s Depot in Columbus,
and lodging for union workers - now
home to the most exciting neighborhood
in the city and to you!

To get to Capital View:
from the west or the south, take interstate 70
and exit at Fulton Street, turning left on Front
Street.
from the east, take interstate 70 exiting at
Fourth Street, turning right on Front Street.
from the north, take interstate 71 south,
exiting at Broad Street (west). Turn left on
High Street

Walking distance from all points in
the city, this is the future of downtown
living. See you there!

w o rk
cu l tu re
c iv ic
river

park

park

c u lt u r e

the future of
downtown living

PrOCESS
The best way for me to understand how the city and
life in it worked, and how those related to the suburbs,
was to experiment with trying to configure the ideal
neighborhood. I experimented with the high-rise, with
mid-low density housing, with a mixture of housing
types, but in all cases, resorted back to having outdoor
space for each unit. That became the point that I
knew I needed to incorporate into the design of this
neighborhood. Outdoor space can provide a feeling
of connection and isolation at the same time - allowing
someone to be a part of the city while feeling apart
from it.

PrOCESS & DEVELOPMENT 73

The focus of the design in this thesis began as housing
that mimicked the suburban condition but in an urban
setting. As the process evolved, the focus shifted to
simply creating a new type of housing that would be
intended for families in cities, to offer an alternative to
the typical condo/flat/town home/apartment model.
A major idea was to provide significant ‘individual’
outdoor space to the people who live in this new type
of housing, unlike the typical city housing model, which
tends to limit individual outdoor space to balconies or
porches. Shared outdoor space is and would remain
an integral part of city living; currently, in the suburb,
shared outdoor space is not as important since most
houses include a yard of some size. So, to combine
the two - a private outdoor space with shared outdoor
space would be one step in integrating the two living
conditions.
What developed out of this process was a design which
encompasses the need for medium density housing
in the city in a mixed use neighborhood. It creates a
walkable neighborhood by reducing the need to have
automotive transportation to achieve daily tasks.
In the design for this new neighborhood, it’s important
that housing and business functions are not kept
as separate functions, rather are mixed together to
create a true mixed-use neighborhood.

74

A birds-eye view of the neighborhood.


An important aspect to the design of the neighborhood is
to understand the public space between the housing and
the street - essentially the sidewalk. The neighborhood
is intended to be a pedestrian driven area - streets are
available for parking, but proportioned to encourage
walking whenever practical. The street is the focus
of the activity in the neighborhood, so each home has
access to it, as well as access to the courtyard on each
block - allowing for different experiences depending on
the method of entry. The sidewalks need to be wide
enough to allow for people to stop and interact without
obstructing the pathway for others, yet not so wide that
it becomes a wasted space. The fact that the sidewalk
becomes such a vital part of the neighborhood means
that to incorporate it into the entry of a house in the city
would be important. The sidewalk and other elements
of the space between the street and the building
become the front yard of city dwellings.

Diagram showing the connection of pedestrian spaces across the street to
different features/functions.

76

The proportions of the street & sidewalk are important to give the
neighborhood a pedestrian friendly feeling.


Most of the blocks are set up to maximize open space
- whether it’s a public courtyard or a raised patio - the
outdoor space is intended to connect people to one
another, as well as the city itself, through the views that
the different vantage points provide and through the
arrangement of the spaces. People are not necessarily
forced to interact, but there is an opportunity at each
entry or portal for neighbors to greet one another.

78

View into the courtyard of one block in the neighborhood.


Through the process of studying how housing works,
and how it could be set up to encourage more people
to take up residence in the city, I struggled with finding a
thread to follow throughout the time. There were times
that the focus seemed to be privacy, there were times
when ownership seemed to be the most important factor,
then there were times when greenspace seemed like
it should have been my focus. The following samples
of the work that I did leading up to the last iteration
of design I think will show the range of my thought Early attempt at a stacking scheme where each unit would have
access to a ‘private yard’.
processes while trying to understand what makes a
house or location desirable.

80

Early master planning studies (above and bottom left) that show some of the more
focused areas of the site - the red boxes indicate areas I thought would have some
kind of pull or weight on the site - due to views or adjacencies to things off site.


To understand the positive aspects of each living con-
dition, I created collages with images of the highlights
and amenities that people look for in the area they
choose to live in.

In the suburbs, people usually point to the amount of ‘open space’
that you get with your house, and the fact that you can participate in a
lot of outdoor activities.

82

City life is more commercialized - retail and dining is much more con-
venient, and cultural and social activities are easier to participate in.


It’s important for this new neighborhood to make a
connection to the area around it. I studied the visual
connections to landmarks around the site: the two
parks, the courthouse, some of the major streets. The
views through the site created a pattern that became
a driving factor for some of the moves I would go on to
make with this idea.

84

Columbus
Bicentennial Commons
Park

Franklin county
courthouse

Study showing the potential views and connections.


By taking the sight lines from the diagram on the previous page, and in
filling masses, I attempted a sort of master plan. This did create a dynamic
feeling to the way the buildings were arranged, but it didn’t seem to foster
a neighborly spirit any more than a strict orthographic gridded layout would
have because social interaction does not necessarily depend on the view
that one has of a landmark or destination.

86

Master plan based on views.


zone stuDies The easy way to define these areas is to think about
where one would normally seek permission to enter
During the initial research phase, the theory as to why or inhabit. A person could reasonably expect to be
suburban and urban living were different had to do with allowed to linger on a sidewalk without being imposing,
the compression (or lack of) in each ‘zone’ that one has but to sit on the front porch uninvited could cause some
to pass through to get from public to private areas. discomfort. To me, the suburb is sort of introverted: less
concerned with what’s going on in the street and more
During the initial studies, I looked at the difference about what’s happening within the property limits - not
between the suburban model, a town home, and a high- to say that the suburb is totally ignorant of the street,
rise apartment. Here (opposite) I studied the zones but the street becomes less important in the suburb.
of transition between public and private space on a
suburban street. The zones of public vs. private space,
while not always explicitly defined, are fairly clearly
implied - the curb defines the edge of the public street,
to show the boundary between public automobile and
public pedestrian (usually with a transitional barrier
between such as a tree lawn). The sidewalk marks the
end of the public space and the transition to semi-public
(the front yard). The front porch or stoop or garage
tend to define the boundary between semi-public and
the semi-private.

88

The zones that happen on a residential property in the
suburbs are important. This provides separation and a
feeling of individuality for a lot of people who live in the
suburbs. Unfortunately this also promotes isolationism,
to the point where neighbors may not see each other
or interact with each other for days, weeks, months.
Understanding that people see these separations as
important is key to understanding suburbs though.
People perceive the space as liberating and freeing,
allowing them to do what they want in ‘their’ space.

90

While the zones in suburban living are large, in the city,
they are compressed. In the graphics shown here, I
studied different ways to create a feeling of separation
so that people can tell the difference in some of the
zones - the difference between public and private, mine
vs. someone else’s.

92

In the high rise, the zones are much more blurred and
tend to run together due to the amount of compression.
For example: Where does the semi-public space
really end and the semi-private space really start?
Is the boundary at the door to the building, or is it in
the lobby? In the elevator? The line that divides the
spaces is blurred. Here, like in the suburb, the street is
not the most important point of reference - in this case,
it’s likely the corridor on each floor. It’s approaching a
city-on-a-smaller-scale type feeling.

94

While studying the townhouse condition, I noticed that
the transitions between the zones were even more
compressed. The transition from public to private
happens within a the stoop. What’s to stop someone
from inhabiting a zone that would be considered ‘semi-
private’? Planting, small fences, a gate? If the suburbs
are introverted, a city townhouse could be described
as extroverted - much more involved in the action on
the street, almost by necessity due to the proximity.
The street becomes a very important datum for the
townhouse.

96

While trying to understand the significance the spaces
in between units plays in the neighborhood, I looked
at how these units would interact with each other and
with the street. Where does the entry go? How does
the living space relate the street? What does the in-
between space do for shared space or for individual
space.

98

Sketch which helped to study the relationship of the unit to the street

(Above & Left) Studying the relationship of one unit to
another, and how those could weave around, leaving
spaces in between for other possibilities (such as com-
mon area or private spaces)


Here, trying to understand how program elements would stack up
together, I pulled apart a single unit or two. This showed me how
units could work together and, through shifting in or out and side
to side, create spaces above or below. This began an idea of how
important the space between units becomes.

100

Images of a study model that shows how residences (blue & yellow
volumes) could interact with commercial or retail (green volume) at
ground level and still have some connection to the ground.

102

By combining multiple instances of the blocks on the previ-
ous study, I began to understand how the units would work
together to form a street face and how the spaces between
the units would become important.


MAsterPlAnning stuDies

As a way to begin to visualize how the spaces would
interact with each other, I used Lego blocks to represent
different program pieces such as commercial/retail,
residential, greenspace, etc. Using different colored
blocks to represent different programs allowed me to
quickly switch their relationships around and studying
adjacencies. The ability to reconfigure the layout and
see it in three dimensions helped me to come to the
conclusion that the mixture of different programs, rather
than the separation of residential from commercial and
service and creating different zones for each type of
function.

104

Building on the Lego master planning exercise, I used
colors to represent the individual types of retail and
commercial spaces that might be located in this new
neighborhood. Here, I tried to make connections to
the area beyond the site, through the site, and to the
city as a whole. One idea that ended up coming out
of this was the connection between the existing parks
becoming a boulevard though the site.

106

In this case, the different colors represented different household
types. By mixing these up, the intended effect was to create a
diverse neighborhood that allows for interaction between neighbors
who potentially could be at different stages of their lives.


isoMetriC stuDies

Through isometric studies, I was able to examine how
the residential units might relate to commercial or retail
spaces on the ground floor - how they could work next
to one another. It helped me come to the conclusion
that retail & residential spaces don’t necessarily need to
be so separated to make the entrance to the residence
feel unique enough to be recognizable. This can be
done through changes in material, plane, elevation, or
spacing, just to name a few ways.
In initial elevation studies, I had a symmetrical approach
to the form - this led to a predictable and somewhat
monotonous look to the elevations. By breaking up the
facade to be less symmetrical, it provides interest and
a more dynamic, fluid look to the blocks of buildings.

108

By studying the relationships that the back yards of the
residents houses would create, I began to form opinions
about the connections between units - each doesn’t
necessarily have to have complete visual separation
from the others, but by changing elevations, the feeling
of individualism can be enhanced.

110

MAssing stuDies

To create interest in the building form, using Tschumi’s
design diagrams for the follies at Parc de La Villette as
an example, the method of subtraction & addition to
create form was employed. What was most interesting
was the simple act of adding and subtracting to building
form can create complex interest in the form itself.
Beginning from a simple box, I transposed a 9 square
grid on one face of the rectangular form, and began
subtracting and adding from there. These simple
moves helped to define a somewhat more complex
and interesting form to the building.

In this configuration, the building is like a group of flats
- which (to equate to suburban forms) are like ranch
houses, stacked on top of one another. The subtraction
and addition create outdoor spaces that act as the yard
spaces for each unit. The circulation could be an open
stair, or screened, and it provides the opportunity to
create a front yard at each of the entries where the stair
landings reach an outdoor entry to each apartment.

112

The process and transformation from a simple box to a complex
form through the addition & subtraction of mass.

114

In this situation, the building is studied to see what can
be created differently if it’s zoned differently. Here, the
ground floor is still a commercial/retail zone, with a
single three story house above. The concepts are the
same - breaking the plane of the sidewalk to introduce
an element that distinguishes the building, creating
outdoor space in the voids created by subtraction, and
a form which leads to a certain level of playfulness.

116

Again, the process and transformation from a simple box to a
complex form through the addition & subtraction of mass. Simply
moving different pieces drastically alters the form from the previous
study - a complex and unique form is derived from a simple box.

118

seCtionAl stuDies

After working through the design ideas, I returned to
the zone concept - by looking at the different zones that
were created by the buildings I was designing, I was
able to determine that they were not as compressed
as a town home or high-rise condition, but were not as
open as the typical suburban condition. The zones still
left something to be desired - they did not create the
clear sense of space between public and private that I
thought was necessary.

As these studies continued, I began to notice that the
different zones were starting to overlap, but on separate
levels - a fully public space was under a semi-private
space. This led me to understand more about how the
space between the built space becomes habitable, and
how that space is designed can affect the usefulness
and its desirability. In the context of the city, spaces
between other spaces become important, since the
density of building is higher than outside of the city.

120

Taking a closer look at how these ‘niche’ spaces are
used, I realized that much of the time, these would
become the semi-private, or patio sort of space that
would be used when people want to be outdoors, but
not feel confined to a balcony or not be in the public
way (such as in the park). It becomes a sort of yard for
these houses.

122

Section studies showing the relationship of housing to the street, it’s connection,
and the study of the proportions of the spaces between street & building

124

Section through entry.


To more closely study the spaces between units,
whether it be something of an alley condition or a
backyard/front yard condition, or a park condition, I
studied how spaces would feel at different scales:
a small gathering (BBQ), medium sized gathering
(Birthday party), or larger scale gathering (Block
Party). By breaking it down to the different scales,
the different transitions between indoor and outdoor
space, public and private space, etc, could be studied.
Spaces for these different functions can vary, but for
the most part, the spaces in between buildings could
be used for these different types of social functions.

Plan of the block used for the spatial studies of BBQ, Birthday party, Block party
charette.

126

Sketch of a typical street view of two units.


One of the draws of suburban living is that each home
includes a space outside where social activities or
play activities can happen, in what someone could
consider ‘their’ yard. Therefore, an outdoor claimable
space located so that each home has access to one
can provide the residents with the feeling of ownership
of outside space. The sectional studies were done
to explore the volume of space that is allocated for
different outdoor social activities - in this case, looking
at a birthday party or a smaller back yard barbecue. The
space required for each of these activities, obviously, is
not a set amount - there’s no formula.

128

‘A backyard BBQ party”


Looking at the conditions for a social event such as an
outdoor birthday party, I considered factors in whether
the space was appropriate for the function or not -
factors such as:
Space for 20-30 people
Quick access to the indoors
A separation to allow a feeling of exclusivity

By considering those factors, I was able to determine
whether the space I was designing could actually
function in the event someone used it for a party.
Taking that thinking a step further, what would happen
if the factors were to change? Could the party hold
more people comfortably? What is considered quick or
easy access to the indoor spaces? Answers to those
sorts of questions helped me to decide that the space
needed to be flexible enough to accommodate fairly
extreme conditions.

130

A birthday party


During the study of these in-between spaces, I was
aware of the issue of visual privacy. By having an outdoor
space that is intended to be semi-private, how do the
units deal with visual connection (or disconnection)
from the neighbors? Creating a visual screen or barrier
can serve the purpose of allowing two sets of people to
inhabit virtually the same outdoor space, but feeling as
though they have the space to themselves. The visual
separation can create a sense private space out of an
area that is not truly private.

132

Study of visual separation between units .


entrAnCe visibility

While studying the gathering spaces at different
scales, I digressed to looking solely at the visibility
of the entrances. If each of three units (for example)
all shared one smaller space to begin their entrance,
how could that space be subdivided so that it didn’t
feel like the hallway to an apartment? In this case,
I explored three units having entrances within one
corner of the courtyard, and found that by raising the
entrances to different levels, it really provided a feeling
of individuality.

Perspective from the courtyard showing three individual entries into homes.

134

Perspective from a unit’s private patio space - connections to the neighbors are
possible, but there is still a sense of individuality.


Going back to re-examine the residential courtyard
area, the materiality seemed to be a simple way
to define individual spaces and places. Simply
introducing material changes from one unit to the next
and in the ground plane help to differentiate between
the houses and what’s considered public vs. private.
The material can be used as an identifying feature
allowing the residents to feel a sense of individuality
about their particular unit, or even as a threshold
(changing materials between the sidewalk and front
steps by adding pavers or something similar). Adding
other elements to the material changes begins to
give character to the units, adding another layer of
individuality to them. The materials should fit with the
context of the city to tie it to the surroundings even
further - for example, in Columbus, a palette of brick,
metal, and limestone would be appropriate, while in
other cities, that may not fit as well.

Model with no material demarcation.

136

Adding color or material can help to define the pieces of the whole,


The passage from the sidewalk into the courtyard could
end up feeling like a long dark tunnel if it’s not allowed
to open up, creating an uninviting, unused space. The
connection this passage provides is important, since
the courtyard becomes less active if it’s closed off from
the street - the direct connection allows it to be woven
into the city.

Not only does a corridor in the public way give a shortcut through the building,
but without proper care in design, it would be an unused passage

138

Just by adding materials, the corridor becomes a more inviting place, making it
less likely to become an unused element, inviting loitering and things like crime
that have become (unfairly) associated with the city by some suburbanites.


PArking gArAge renovAtion

As part of studying how the neighborhood could connect
to the surroundings, I studied how I could better utilize
some of the more under-used areas close to the site; a
major one being the parking garage that used to serve
the City Center Mall (now demolished). The garage is
lightly used, and is a massive form that I thought could
better be served by being re-purposed. This garage
would be renovated to become the community center
in the new scheme.

140

PreCeDent:

111 Lincoln
Miami, Florida
Herzog & deMeuron
Mixed Use Parking Garage containing commercial,
residential, community space.

This example is particularly interesting because it is
not the typical concrete parking garage - while it serves
that purpose, it also serves other functions. The
uneven floor spacing allows the garage to house other
functions without making those feel so utilitarian and
lets them receive light further into the garage, making it
acceptable for an office or an apartment to be situated
in the middle of the garage - mixed within the function
of the garage - instead of on top of or under the garage
as would typically be found.

15

142

The first steps in understanding how to utilize the
garage involved understanding the scale. In relation to
the site surrounding it, the garage is a large, monolithic
structure. It still serves a traffic purpose as it can
provide parking for the hotel and other businesses
across the street to the south & east.

Sectionally, the garage is comparable in scale to the
buildings adjacent to it - (4) stories tall. In looking at
the effect renovating the garage would have, I focused
on three of the corners of the building, and ended up
developing one of them more extensively than the
others.

Parking garage plan, with areas highlighted where an intervention could be appropriate
due to the context surrounding the building.

144

Section through the existing garage


The corner that seemed to have the most potential
impact on the design was the South-West corner
- it sits directly across from the site and has a direct
connection to the Westin Hotel and historic Southern
Theater across the street. I imagined a form reaching
out of the existing building and becoming a landmark
feature for the parking structure. As the idea evolved,
this became a fitness center, where the occupants have
a clear view of the activity on the street below, while
providing a sense of interest to the people looking at
the building.

146

(Above & Left) The form is generated as an extension of the parking
garage, but differs from the main structure is that it opens up to the
surroundings through the large expanses of glass.


vertiCAl PArk

The ‘vertical park’, as I came to think of it, was an idea
born of peeling back the parking garage decks to allow
the penetration of light into the middle of the garage
at its lowest levels. This park would house a skate
park, climbing wall, mountain bike path, and high-
ropes course. Other than the skateboarding, not many
of those activities are usually found in the city, so this
provided an opportunity to allow the people who live in
the new neighborhood to participate in activities that
they would usually have to drive somewhere to do. The
size of the garage allowed for such diverse functions to
be housed in one place - and by nature of the activities
it becomes a community center. Adding things like
a swimming pool, fitness club, meeting rooms, and
other spaces that can be used by the public gives life
to a garage that may otherwise sit half full at it’s best
times.

148

By opening up the decks of the parking garage, it opened up the interior
and lent itself to creating an open-air sports park. The openings not
only provide the means for a high-ropes course & climbing wall, but
they allow light into the levels below.


Mountain bike trail created from the parking garage ramps.

150

Opening up an interior deck allows a skateboarding park to be installed, with half-pipe and observation
area.


ACCess & PAtH

Following the design of the community center/vertical
park, I studied how people might get there, and what
that would do for the life of the neighborhood. In one
scenario, I looked at a potential path for someone who
lives in the neighborhood and the potential path for
someone who lives just outside of the city.

In the scenario of a person who lives within the
neighborhood going to the park, I imagined that
since this person would be fairly familiar with the
neighborhood, they would probably take a fairly direct
route to the park - making a stop here or there, but
overall, just heading for their destination. Obviously
there are multitudes of different paths that one could
take, but this graphic illustrates just one.

The sidewalk becomes one of the most important features of the
neighborhood.

152

Diagram showing one potential path to and from the park.


In the scenario of a person who lives outside of the
neighborhood, I took the fictional path that someone
who lives just west of downtown might follow. This
person, not living IN the neighborhood, might make
more stops at the retail or commercial features located
within, causing their path to differentiate slightly from
the resident.

In both cases, the interest the neighborhood and
community center would draw to a part of town that is
currently somewhat disconnected from the rest of the
city would be positive. People would have a reason
to be in the southern part of downtown for extended
periods of time - be it going to the community center, the
many restaurants and other establishments that could
be developed, or because they now live there - this
neighborhood could become a feature of downtown,
and the hub of the southern end of downtown.

The combination of functions along the street activates the sidewalk.

154

Diagram showing one potential path to and from the park.


ConClusion Beyond housing, I have formed stronger opinions about
the importance of creating a neighborhood that is self
Throughout the process of studying housing, the city, sustaining. By creating a neighborhood that doesn’t
and the relationships between them, a few things have require it’s residents to drive all over the place, we can
become apparent: reduce things like pollutants that are associated with
driving, reduce traffic congestion, increase the amount
The largest difference in the styles of living between of activity and exercise that people get by making
suburban and city dwelling are the attitude toward the walking a more desirable way to get from point to point,
street: the suburban model tends to be introverted or and bring life back to the cities that are currently on life
inward focused, while the city dwelling seems to be support.
more extroverted and conscious of the street and it’s
activity.

City dwelling, while efficient and convenient, may not be
a desirable thing for everyone for a variety of reasons
(maybe a job being located in the suburbs making city
living impractical, concern over quality of education, or
affordability among other factors)
Access to outdoor space, private vs shared space, and
the amount of physical separation are some of the most
important factors that affect whether housing works or
not for city living.

158

1 - www.franklincountyauditor.org

2-blog.epconcommunities.com

3 -clermontauditor.org

4 - http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2008/08/latest_prediction_californias_housing_market_

will_hit_bottom_first.html

5 - http://mycolumbuscondo.com/SixtySpringStreetColumbusCondosforSale.aspx

6 - http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-new-york-apartment-building-image7535765

7 - http://www.greenbeanchicago.com/900-clark/

8 - http://denverinfill.com/blog/2007/12/new-jefferson-park-project-jefferson.html

9 - http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/blog/?p=839

10 - http://www.cosi.org/files/Image/photos/press/Cosi-East.jpg

11 - http://www.examiner.com/family-travel-in-columbus/scioto-audubon-metropark-downtown-columbus-will-please-families-

birds

12 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus_Main_Library.jpg

13 - http://www.zappa.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8966&start=400

14 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/79761301@N00/1801896421/

15 - http://www.rockmyblog.com/1111-lincoln-road-herzog-de-meuron/

16 - http://blogs.world-changers.net/category/2010/columbus-oh-june-14-17/

162

16

IMAGE CrEDITS 163

Duany, Andres; Plater-Zyberk, Elizabeth; Speck, Jeff. Subur- Divided into two parts, this book explores the history and identity
ban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American of cities, and then goes into specifics about seven cities, diagram-
Dream. New York: North Point Press, 2000. ming their layouts and explaining what’s significant about the ur-
This group of authors, all urban planners, offers insights into the ban aspects of streets, buildings, etc.
problems associated with suburbia ranging from isolation to traffic
congestion to behavioral issues in children. Suggests some ways de Sola-Morales, Manuel. A Matter of Things. Rotterdam: NAi
to reduce suburban sprawl through careful community planning Publishers, 2008.
and by creating walk able communities. Thoughtful urban interventions designed by the author. Examples
include civic projects, urban renewal, and urban housing.
Dunham-Jones, Ellen; Williamson, June. Retrofitting Suburbia:
Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs. New Jersey: Sherwood, Roger. Modern Housing Prototypes. Massachusetts:
John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Harvard University Press, 1978.
Authors describe ways to redesign suburbs that are set up with Presents many examples of housing solutions that were built prior
the automobile in mind into more pedestrian friendly and usable to 1978. Categorically grouped; detached/semi-detached, row-
communities. Examples include adaptive reuse of big box stores housing, party-wall housing, block housing, slabs, & towers. Each
to create town centers and other community amenities, how to project is dissected and critiqued.
retrofit subdivisions so that they are more efficient.
Cooper Marcus, Claire; Sarkissian, Wendy. Housing as if People
Kelbaugh, Doug; et. al. The Pedestrian Pocket Book: A New Sub- Mattered: Site Design Guidelines for the Planning of Medium-
urban Design Strategy. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, Density Family Housing (California Series in Urban Development).
1989. California: University of California Press, 1988.
Provides design ideas for suburbs that would be walk able and Studies the needs of the users/occupants of housing - families -
provide easy access to public transportation and other necessi- and breaks those needs down into designable guides. Useful for
ties. designing housing with children in mind.

Saunders, William S. Sprawl and Suburbia. Minnesota: University Architectural Record Article about Steven Holl’s Linked Hybrid
of Minnesota Press, 2005. Building - January 2010, pages 48-54.
A series of essays which analyze the issues related to suburban Mixed-use urban housing building in Beijing, contains roughly 650
sprawl, offering ideas for smart growth and New Urbanism. Pro- apartment. Contains community functions that connect the tow-
vided examples of social problems related to sprawl. ers, creating a use and separation from the street.

Gandelsonas, Mario. X-Urbanism: Architecture and the American http://www.djc.com/news/re/11161830.html
City. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. Article about creating multifamily housing that actually works for

166

families. Explains how urban housing currently focuses on young cfm?file_id=120634&program_id=88
professionals without children or empty nesters. Suggests ways Update on the status of Urban Housing in the city of Columbus.
that more family focused housing can be built.
http://www.ccc.unc.edu/documents/CC_housingCrunch.pdf
French, Hillary. New Urban Housing. New Haven, CT: Yale Uni- Article about how the housing crisis, how to find affordable hous-
versity Press. 2006. ing, has become a suburban problem – used to primarily be an ur-
Case studies of multifamily housing: terraces, courtyards, infill, & ban problem. Lower income housing is moving further and further
towers. out into the suburbs, challenging the illusion that suburbs are all
happy middle class families.
www.DPZ.com/research.aspx
New Urbanists. Website contains information on the new urbanist http://efinancedirectory.com/articles/High_Gas_Prices_Affect_
philosophy. Suburban_Housing_Market.html
Describes how the fluctuation in gas prices has affected the desir-
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Alexandra_Road_Hous- ability of suburban homes.
ing.html
Researched the Alexandra Road housing development as a prec- http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LWlJPGjL
edent for high density terrace housing. CJLjnV50Tr3XFTGmXQ4cjCWRW2xRWWMzT7TCrh6VYyt8!-16
71297380!742347710?docId=5001896003
http://www.thecoolist.com/housing-design-10-masterpieces-of- Report about the link between urban and suburban job growth
urban-community/ and the value of suburban housing.
Interesting site with images and information about 10 urban hous-
ing projects. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/16/nyregion/the-inner-mean-
ings-of-suburban-housing.html?pagewanted=1
http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=36678 Article about an artist whose exhibits focus on the impact televi-
Article from the National Association of Home Builders about the sion and movies have on promoting the image of suburbia – how
different housing markets emerging. Specifically the trend toward the image can be manipulated by those media and promote a
Urban Housing. false reality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification http://htaindex.cnt.org/model_summary
Gentrification is a concern I’ve had, so I used the wikipedia article http://htaindex.cnt.org/mapping_tool.php
to get some background information about gentrification. Modeling the actual costs of transportation related to suburban
living.
http://www.ohiochannel.org/multimedia/programs/media.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGrAPHy 167

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35316715/Housing_Crash_Crushes_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayshore_Beautiful_(Tampa),_Florida
Suburban_Ideal Wikipedia entry about a suburb of Tampa, Florida that actually in-
Article about the future of housing – divides demographics into cluded “Beautiful” in the name of the town. Almost as if the found-
four basic groups: Aging baby boomers, younger baby boomers, ers felt like they needed to add it to make it desirable.
children of baby boomers (Gen Y) and immigrants
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.treehug-
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/03/the-next- ger.com/2008-04-04_110538-Treehugger-suburb-eating-robot.
slum/6653/ jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/andrew-
Article that explains how suburbs are destined to become the maynards-suburb-eating-robots.php&usg=__utyhkYNJYA_Ip44V
next ‘slums’ GwSD7gbsgfo=&h=380&w=468&sz=71&hl=en&start=8&um=1&it
bs=1&tbnid=kb0jGyCzg2QQcM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=128&prev=/im
http://www.washdiplomat.com/June%202008/c1_06_08.html ages%3Fq%3Dsuburb%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
Article about the real estate market, mentions the appeal of mul- %26tbs%3Disch:1
tifamily housing. Satirical design of a robot that recycles suburbs and attempts to
reclaim the land that suburbs have overtaken. The waste product
http://www.modative.com/venice-boulevard-urban-dwellings-0/ from suburban developments that are eaten by this robot is bi-
Precedent for urban singlefamily and multifamily dwellings. cycles for the displaced residents to use to get back into shape.

Lewis, Sally. Front to Back: A Design Agenda for Urban Housing.
Oxford: Architectural Press. 2005.
Presents a variety of ways that urban housing can be thought of
so that designs can be considerate of their surroundings, occu-
pants, and ecological footprint.

The tragedy of suburbia - James Howard Kunstler (2004) -
h t t p : / / f e e d p r o x y. g o o g l e . c o m / ~ r / T E D Ta l k s _ v i d e o / ~ 3 /
mv8zoAAMgPA/121
Discusses the problems with suburban design - how places that
are designed in the suburbs are forgettable and incapable of
causing anyone to care about them. Places are too desolate and
designed for automobiles instead of people. Urges the audience
to think about living locally.

168

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