In the fifth of his "place-decoding" series from France, Chuck Wolfe recalls how we carry with us the ability to mine pride from place, even in places that are, perhaps, least expected to shine.
What do the politics of urban housing have to do with a seasonal caravan park in Provence, asks Wolfe?
Plenty, he notes, tying current debates about housing affordability in his native Seattle to exemplary illustrations from a manufactured housing community near Fréjus.
Recapping current focus both in Seattle and nationwide on issues such as micro-housing and linkage fees, he suggests that it is time to remember underlying, qualitative issues:
Our political discussions, mired in jargon and positioning, often lose sight of a human pride of place inherent in even the simplest forms of shelter.
He suggests, that when people take pride in where they live, their homes' appearance shows a bonding with the place, often with considered ingenuity. He provides examples from the Domaine du Pin de la Lègue, a 53 year-old caravan park (in American terms, a seasonal manufactured housing community), where, in addition to many "urban" services, there is the "pride of place surrounding the small living spaces in the homes all around, from clever retrofits to landscaping and rockeries befitting the best of single-family neighborhoods":
In the ways called for among some urban redevelopment movements today, small-scale innovation is on display---it's a locale where the plot-based, lean and pop-up urbanism movements of the United Kingdom and the United States merge with some admirable diversity.
Like a neighborhood, notes Wolfe, the homes become nurtured, planted around, and modified in functional ways, without expensive building materials, identities or complex regulatory tools.
FULL STORY: Sustainable Housing, Politics and a Basic Pride of Place

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

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont