Taking a page from the locavore food movement, an architectural competition in Vancouver asks entrants to design a home using materials made or recycled within 100 miles of the city, writes Mark Boyer.
According to Boyer, "The idea of a 100-mile house shouldn't be shocking: Historically, most homes were made using local materials simply because it was more practical. But in an age when even middle-class homeowners can order marble countertops from Italy and bamboo floors from China, creating a home entirely from local materials challenges builders to carefully consider every piece of the structure, from the foundation to the eaves."
This is the ethos that has driven an international competition organized by the Architecture Foundation of British Columbia. Inspiration can be found in the foundation's own backyard at the 1,150-suqare-foot home built by naturalist and writer Briony Penn in British Columbia, just across the Strait of Georgia from Vancouver, with help from builder Michael Dragland.
Besides the expected environmental benefits of building from local sources, Penn found wider sociological and economic benefits. "'"The 100-mile house is just fun,' Penn says. 'It provides a fun way to define how you're going to build a house, because you go out and you talk to all your neighbors, and it builds community and puts money back in the hands of everybody in your community.'"
FULL STORY: 100-Mile Houses Expand the Locavore Movement From Food to Architecture

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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