Small neighborhood developments of cottages with low square footage known as "pocket neighborhoods" are catching on, especially with empty nesters looking to downsize.
Pocket neighborhoods have been popping up in cities all over the U.S. Washington developer and acrhiect Ross Chapin has been leading the trend.
"Based in Langley, Wash., Chapin has developed 40 pocket neighborhoods across the country - many in partnership with Seattle developer Jim Soules of The Cottage Co. He is currently working on projects in Indiana, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Cities in the Puget Sound area have adopted cottage housing ordinances that often allow twice the number of homes on a lot as long as they're small, limited in height and face a common area.
'Jurisdictions around the country are looking at these and adopting them,' Chapin says. 'The idea of a pocket neighborhood is that you have nearby neighbors coming together around a shared space. ... This really harkens back to the fact that we, as humans, are social. We want to be together.'"
Read the full story: Cozy pocket neighborhoods have sprawl on the move
From SoHo to SoDoSoPa
How zoning made great neighborhoods illegal to build, and preordained gentrification.
What the ‘Walk Score’ Misses
A popular walkability assessment omits key factors that impact different demographics and can direct development resources to already wealthy neighborhoods.
The Impact of Local Entrepreneurship on Neighborhood Revitalization
Explore how local entrepreneurship boosts neighborhood revitalization, driving economic growth, creating jobs, and enhancing community bonds. Learn about the supportive role urban planners play in fostering sustainable business ecosystems.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority