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Enhances its Neighborhood
All projects, no matter how small, have a responsibility beyond simply meeting the needs of their users. They have a public responsibility to add to and enhance the neighborhoods in which they are built. This is why design is so critical.
Projects which meet minimal code requirements are just that - minimal. While they may provide better shelter than their occupants previously enjoyed, they do little to improve the communities in which they find themselves. Site plans are weak, landscaping is minimal or nonexistent, and simple amenities - like front porches or bay windows - are missing.
The result is housing that has missed a golden opportunity. It may provide
a home for people in need, but it doesn't go the extra step and positively impact the neighborhood where those people live. Such positive impacts are critical to a project's long term success - and better design is the key to creating them.
Any project that merely meets the needs of its users - no matter how well - and does nothing to improve the neighborhood where it is built is not considered by the Design Advisor to be well designed.
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This Seattle development was built on an empty lot - home to drug dealers and prositutes - next to a historic mansion. The project responded sensitively to the height, scale and basic form of its landmark neighbor and, in the process, helped stabilize the surrounding community. The mansion's owner, who sold the property to the developer, noted that the existence of an attractive building, housing a diverse community, had reduced crime in her neighborhood and that the project should serve as a model for affordable housing developers throughout the Seattle area.
(Cascade Court Apartments)
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The development team for this project took an "urban wasteland" on the edge of downtown Pittsburgh and turned it into a highly successful, mixed-income community. This, in turn, has sparked a revitalization of the entire district. Said one resident, "It not only fits in, but it has improved the look of the neighborhood. Everyone looks out for each other here." And the property manager noted, "More cities should look into housing like this. I grew up in this neighborhood, and for residents of the Hill area this is a dream come true."
(Crawford Square)
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Until recently, a patchwork of undersized and underutilized vacant lots in this Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts neighborhood served as dumping grounds and eyesores. Now, 41 families own cooperative homes in 17 new buildings that restore the streetscape at a comfortable density. One resident observed, "I feel very lucky to be at Hyde Square Co-op. One of the best things is the sense of community, and that we have a voice in what happens."
(Hyde Square Co-op)
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This Stamford, Connecticut project replaced an abandoned elementary school, adding people and activity to a block that was otherwise empty. The development has enhanced the security and stability of its neighborhood and clearly exemplifies the benefits of reclaiming underutilized inner-city land.
(Waterside Green)
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