There is not one single kind of family, so there should not be one kind of "Single Family Home."
Mia Birdsong, in Pacific Standard, argues for a reexamination of the single-family home as an idea, an aspiration and an object. "As people, with Millennials in the lead, continue to push the boundaries of family formation, we would do well to look to the communities that have histories of creating family outside the constraints of the nuclear family for inspiration, guidance, and perspective."
The article suggests that we should build for the world we live in, and not the fantasy of white America in the '50s might have wanted the world to be. Birdsong says, "We may resist the social pressure to either marry or raise kids and seek to create a close-knit community. We may expand our families with the addition of friends or neighbors." These varied lifestyles require more variation in accommodations.
FULL STORY: Single-Family Homes, but No Single Family
In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living
Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.
America's Residential Segregation is Getting Worse
New research shows growing segregation over the last two decades in the majority of large metropolitan areas.
Co-Living Redefined by Denver City Council
Over the strong opposition from neighborhood groups, the Denver City Council has approved new regulations that allow up to five unrelated individuals to live in the same household.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
