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Redefining Residential

Posted by: Tim Halbur

13 July 2009 - 2:00pm

The late columnist Emmett Watson set the tone in Seattle for keeping the small bungalow, suburban character of the city. Today, New Urbanists and others are working to redefine Seattle's landscape post-Watson with denser, affordable buildings.

The local chapter of CORA (Congress for Residential Architecture) is pooling their know-how to define new ways to build density without mimicking the suburban aesthetic already in place.

"In an attempt to make town houses blend in with Craftsman bungalows, Seattle codes created a hybrid, half house and half high-rise, that satisfies no one.

This is not developer greed. It was an earnest attempt by the city and builders to retain the flavor of Seattle's traditional single-family neighborhoods while stuffing in 100,000 more people. Which brings us back to Watson's ghost."

"Do you solve the problem by getting more prescriptive or less?" asks architect John DeForest, another CORA member."

Full Story: Seattle's 'new urbanism': making smart, sustainable, stylish dwellings
Source: The Seattle Times, July 12, 2009
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If hundreds of people in your community raised reasonable concerns about a planning program you developed, how would you respond? Perhaps you might call a community meeting, or ask community elected officials to reach out to community leaders.
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