The Katrina Cottage, designed as an alternative to the ubiquitous post-Katrina FEMA trailer, is now gaining popularity nationwide as both an affordable housing solution and a quaint vacation cottage."
"Two years ago, New York City architect Marianne Cusato designed a pretty, little yellow house she envisioned as an alternative to the dreary, government-issued trailers that were sheltering tens of thousands of people along the Gulf Coast displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Her 308-square-foot "Katrina Cottage," had shutters, a peaked tin roof and a front porch, in keeping with traditional Southern sensibilities. Resistant to rot, termites and water damage, it was designed to withstand winds of up to 130 mph. It cost less than the Federal Emergency Management Agency's $70,000 camperlike trailers and could be used as a permanent home and added onto later.
'I wanted to create a more dignified version of the FEMA trailer,' Cusato told Cottage Living magazine. 'The Katrina Cottage shows how we can create beautiful and affordable homes that give people a place of pride.'
What Cusato didn't envision is that people around the country, not just those holed up in trailers along the Gulf Coast, would clamor for a Katrina Cottage of their own. That's what happened after a prototype of her cottage debuted at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., in January 2006."
FULL STORY: A cottage of their own
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
San Diego Votes to Rein in “Towering” ADUs
City council voted to limit the number of units in accessory buildings to six — after confronting backyard developments of up to 100 units behind a single family home.
Texas Legislature’s Surprising Pro-Housing Swing
Smaller homes on smaller lots, office to apartment conversions, and 40% less say for NIMBYs, vote state lawmakers.
Even Edmonton Wants Single Staircase Buildings
Canada's second most affordable major city joins those angling to nix the requirement for two staircases in multi-family buildings.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)