Beyond Sprawl: Part Two

[marmar]

from the Infrastructurist:





Look at many large North American cities and you see a sea of suburban houses. Sprawl has become the norm. But it is costly, damages the environment and affects quality of life. A new generation of planners and architects is beginning to look at sustainable, human-centered solutions to the creeping suburbs.

There are several reasons for the rise of the suburbs. The planning structures put in place after World War II encouraged the construction of low-density neighborhoods. Low gas prices created a car-dependent culture. And most developers are resistant to changing the paradigm of the suburbs because it has worked for them.

The four architects profiled in this series offer their own analyses of how North America has come to face this situation, and how it might be solved.

The predominance of large, inefficient homes in suburban areas is something that architect Jonathan Davis wants to tackle with pieceHomes. These are modular homes of modest size and contemporary design with many high-efficiency features. Davis argues that people can be persuaded to live in much less space than they think they need.

“One of our goals is to reduce the size of our homes. People think they have to have a 3000-square-foot house. I tell them I can do that same house in 1500 square feet.”

Compact houses don’t have to be cramped if they’re properly designed, Davis says “You can create space by getting good daylight in there, good cross ventilation, the appropriate materials and colors so the spaces feel lighter and airy.” The houses that Davis designs also have a host of environmentally friendly features, including either high r-value panels or spray-foam insulation, radiant heat and efficient cooling as well as room for photovoltaic cells on the roof.

“The cost of running the house,” Davis adds, “the energy bill, is going to be less, so people are going to realize savings in the long run.” .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/2828/