Dan Maginn proposes some exercises for visualizing how much room you actually need to live, starting with this equation: too big = not good. Small = good. Too small = suck.
Dan and his wife assigned square footage to the various needs for space their daily lives employ -- cooking, storage, sleeping, etc. -- and arrived at 1,050 sq. ft.
"I polled a few of my architect friends to hear what they had to say about affordable house sizes. Their numbers ranged from 900 to 1,400, with the average coming in at about 1,200. Obviously, there are no absolutes with regard to house size, but it's interesting to get a better mental grip on one's own square-footprint and compare it to others."
Read the full story: Square Feat: Foot Steps
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello