• Novel idea: Modular house that’s cute

    Good design is a low priority for houses made in a factory, but some architects and developers are trying to change the industry with a simple cottage that features a nicely detailed porch and roof lines.
    Why do factory-built houses tend to look ugly ? Why can’t they be cute , like a cottage that would fit into a walkable neighborhood? New urbanists have been wrestling with that question for many years. Bruce Tolar, an architect based in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, asks: “Would you rather have a...Read more

  • A primer on Missing Middle Housing

    AARP, an interest group representing older Americans that claims 38 million members, has increasingly become involved in housing issues (including ongoing work with CNU on code reform). In between sending me direct mail for many years, AARP has found time to release a useful primer on “Missing...Read more

  • French village hit by sudden (Twitter) storm

    A viral Tweet highlights a village type that would be useful to analyze and replicate, and also touched a nerve.
    Architect Steve Mouzon was looking out the window on the approach to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, and took a photo from what looks to be about a thousand feet up of a perfect village in the countryside, near a modern expressway. Mouzon’s Tweet accompanying the photo shown at the top of this...Read more

  • Church members propose urban village for congregation

    Parishioners of a historic church in Detroit want to develop eight vacant blocks with missing middle housing to build a church-centered community.
    Many thousands of churches are being abandoned in North America as worship communities become geographically dissipated, often spread over large metropolitan areas. Some parishioners of St. Joseph Shrine, a historic Catholic Church just northeast of downtown Detroit, believe that outcome is not...Read more