The Architecture of Affordable HousingThat a country of wealth cannot provide sound housing for those in need is a national embarrassment. This book is about the design of dignified, affordable housing for those not served by the private sector, and how that housing fits comfortably into our communities. Sam Davis has written an accessible, non-technical analysis for everyone interested in the creation of affordable housing. Through discussions of cost, politics, and design concepts, as well as case studies of completed projects, he gives solutions to the dilemmas posed by the development process. Good housing design is a delicate balance of community values, individual needs, esthetic judgments, and technical requirements. Good design can save money—seventy percent of the cost of a new dwelling is affected by planning and design. As a key ingredient in community building, housing should bestow on its inhabitants a sense of dignity, says Davis. To view this as a privilege for those who can afford market-rate housing invites both social and financial disaster. He also considers our national obsession with the single-family house and our historical ambivalence toward subsidized housing—attitudes that have often led to the stigmatization of low-income groups. This book will be indispensable to community and volunteer groups, local governments, financial backers, architects, planners, and students in related fields. |
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affordable housing affordable projects allow amenities American Antoine Predock apartments archi architects bathrooms bedrooms block builders building type built California cars chitecture city staff cohousing Colton Palms competition complex components construction contractor cost court courtyard create Davis density duplexes dwelling efficient embellishments entry example exterior facade families fire sprinklers floor for-profit developer fordable housing funding Habitat hallways homeless hous increased individual infill issues kitchen larger living low-income market-rate housing ment Moshe Safdie multifamily housing National Honor Award neighborhood neighbors NIMBYism nity nonprofit occupants parking patio Photo porch production programs Progressive Architecture award proj Pruitt-Igoe public housing regulations residents Roger Montgomery roof rowhouses Sam Davis San Francisco scale single-family house social housing strategy street structure stucco subsidized Sunrise Place tects tenants tion townhouses units urban walls yard zoning