Attainable urban live-work flex housing

In Michigan the housing market is ‘absolutely horrendous’, according to Geoff Greeneisen, VP of local developer, the Terra Land Group. So they’ve decided to supply what has been one of the strongest, most ignored demands in the market - attainable, entry-level downtown housing for Generation X, Generation Y, and “black-collar creatives.”

“These younger buyers are just what a community with a downtown needs. When a place to live costs a great deal

read more…

Each year the innovative folks at Apartment Therapy award the smallest, coolest apartments across the country, and now around the world. Now when they say smallest, they really do mean smallest (ie some winning pads are 300 s.f.), but they also hold true to being utterly cool as well.

First place (top image), London - This tiny 300 s.f. residence won for its adaptability to different uses, moods. The kitchen and work areas can actually be concealed! Notice how the tops of the chairs fit right

read more…

Beatnik-inspired housing: The Jack Kerouac Lofts

What are the words often associated with Beta Generation writer Jack Kerouac? Free spirit, bohemian, unconventional, counter-culture...

It was only natural that he should provide the DNA for the 60 urban residences to rise from a one-acre lot in Denver surrounded by railyards and vacant industrial buildings dating back to the 1880s, now officially named the Jack Kerouac Lofts. Endorsed by the Kerouac family, it’s not surprising that the

read more…

KC revitalizing its historic music district with some jazzy style

Baseball and jazz - two distinctly American traditions that have defined the history and now revitalization of Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District.

The City recently invested $24 million to build new museums that preserve both the legacy of its charter member of the Negro National League in 1920, the Kansas City Monarchs (the longest running franchise in the Negro Leagues’ history) and its reputation as a

read more…

Face-face social networking on the rise in condos

We all know emerging populations are migrating to social networking websites by the millions, so it was a matter of time before this manifested in the built environment, as hinted at in an earlier entry here.

Based on the recent NY Times article, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, new condos in the city come with bricks-and-mortar social networking amenities as standard equipment. Instead of virtual chat lounges, discussion boards and

read more…

Young developers focus on ‘workforce’ housing

Talk to any urban real estate developer and you’ll quickly discover their goal is to sell their units at the highest price possible for whatever property or site they’re developing, which is why you often see the adjective ‘luxury’ attached. Fortunately, the urban luxury housing market is nearing saturation at the same time a young generation of developers are emerging that empathize with their peers who can’t afford what boomers can, yet still

read more…

So you want to stay in the heart of London for $50 a night…

This is how to do it.  Think of the micro compact home (pictured), mc-h for short, as the Smart car of homes.  For more practical living, check out the MINI Cooper of homes.

As you can see by this graphic, household size is dropping dramatically, and with that comes a migration back to city centers from suburbia where people no longer need all that space (and isolation). As the hyper-popularity of places like London, Paris and

read more…

What are the kitchen trends of the near future? Who better to ask than Susan Serra, renowned CKD (Certified Kitchen Designer) and editor of one of the best/only kitchen design blogs around… and yes, she has a Manhattan apartment, so she knows a thing or two about creative urban.

From her blog, her answer starts out with, “It used to be that a trend would be so blindly followed, really blindly. I see the internet as being responsible for this sea change.

She sees images of people’s own

read more…

Old UPS factory turned new award-winning lofts

No, this isn’t a good example of housing that ‘normal people’ can afford, but it is a touchstone model for transforming a neglected warehouse into an inspired destination. It goes well with the stylish coffeehouse presented yesterday, and sets a good benchmark for what humanistic 21st Century design could be.

Formerly a UPS factory built in 1936 (see image to the left), the building was renovated into what is now a fresh, contemporary, new

read more…

A little imagination goes a long way in loft housing

If there’s one thing that separates ‘cool town’ developer vs a conventional one, it’s the ability to see an exciting destination where others see an eyesore.  How does one acquire this ability?  Here are a couple of tips…

1. Look at buildings constructed before 1930, the last era of pedestrian-oriented development before the auto-oriented suburbia was invented. Anything built after that was increasingly affected by the mass

read more…

How would you like your home to feel… right now?

Each year 100,000 people attend the annual International Builders Show to get a headstart on homebuying trends. So what did they walk away with this year?

For the first time ever, it’s quality over quantity as U.S. homes have finally hit their peak size. ‘Not so big’ is in, though that’s been already covered here.

More homes are going green as costs go down and environmental awareness goes up, but for our readers, that’s nothing new either.

read more…

Touchstone example of what the creative class is looking for

This is a great example of what the creative class is looking for - the strange thing is that this building, the Fifth Avenue Court Apartments in Portland, OR, is hardly getting any recognition at all (until perhaps now.)  It’s not even profiled on the architects’ website!  It just goes to show the disconnect between what people really want and what gets marketed, but we all know that’s going to change soon.

Here’s what makes

read more…

Buyers once again preferring homes, buildings with human proportions

Walk around those popular historic districts of the 1920s - notice how most of the buildings are taller than they are wide?

They proceeded to go flat in the mid-20th century that followed, bringing a fascination with all things mechanical and mass-produced… “Mass production also led to a standard for low ceilings. The architect Le Corbusier saw houses as machines for living, with all the stripped-down functionality that

read more…

Art gallery by day, home by night

So you want to open an art gallery, but don’t have the budget?  Or how about just wanting to have your home double as an office with employees during the day?  The folks at I-Beam Design worked out quite the solution in this Manhattan loft.

The highlights:
- A revolving wall/door that separates the main gallery/workplace from the private section of the house by day, opens it up by night.
- Moving panels that hide your, ahem, flat-panel TV, in not one, but

read more…

Does this sound familiar?  “I (or we) would love to buy a condo, but they’re too expensive where I want to live and I don’t want to go the housemate route to help pay the mortgage.“  Or how about this, “I’d really like to live in this neighborhood for at least a couple of years and would love to rent out a contemporary not-so-big efficiency to be able to afford it, but they simply don’t exist.“

Well, both those prayers are about to be answered with what is being referred to as Mortgage

read more…

How comfortable are you with the colors in your home?

Each year Apartment Therapy, one of the best blogs on apartment design anywhere, has a nationwide contest to find the best unheralded apartments that add a bit of emotion to their living environment via color, namely fall colors.

Why is color important, and why the contest?  In their words, “Color is a powerful part of interior design and the cheapest way to change a room, but few feel comfortable using it. We could all use some help from

read more…

Homes by Ikea?

By 2010, 50% of all new homes will be built by just 10 national homebuilders, up from 36% today, say industry analysts (that’s a lot of influence). Why? As reported a few entries ago, most of our investment capital is held in large, corporate entities that only invest in other large corporate entities. Accepting this trend, there are two paths to steering this capital toward the readers of this site seeking urban, affordable, creative, unique, social, pedestrian-oriented

read more…

The rise of Gen X, Y home buyers spur new models

Is there a reason to expect a change in the standard subdivision and apartment tower housing models?  Yes, according to experts at the leading real estate development organization, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), as documented by the Wall Street Journal.

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1979) comprise a little more than half of the market for newly constructed homes, says the president of a leading advisor, forgoing master suites for

read more…

Saving on housing costs (part 2) - no more 6% fees?

Continuing yesterday’s entry… The Last Stand of the 6-Percenters - that’s the NY Times story that’s got home buyers excited and realtors needing to rethink their business model.  The current system awards 3% to the seller’s agent, and 3% to the buyer’s agent.  Louisville is pioneering a better model with its beta community.

“Traditional agents spend very little time brokering a deal. Most of their time is consumed looking for new clients,

read more…

‘DIY’ - Do it yourself.  This is not DIY in terms of becoming a home builder, but using skills that have come to bear naturally by the internet generation.  Ordering exactly what you want also saves the company significantly (and I mean significantly) because it eliminate inventory, risk and interest - just ask Dell Computer, or any business school teacher.  Then there’s that one little thing called customer satisfaction, as this one reader puts it, “Why is it that I can customize a $10,000

read more…

One need look no further than the 2nd annual Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest 2006, sponsored by Apartment Therapy.

Qualifying entrants must be under 650 s.f. (quality trumps quantity in the city) and among the 48 contiguous states (what the judges have against Hawaii, Alaska and Washington DC I don’t know), and are usually submitted in the early spring. This year’s tied-for-first winners are:

- David & Im’s OneSpace - 426 s.f. loft in San Diego (pictured above) - “truly innovative,

read more…

People are downsizing their homes - and with style

Big is out.  Small with style is in, and understandably so given the increase in home prices.  Then again, prices have increased the last few decades because homes are now more than three times the size per occupant.  Seems like practicality ultimately comes through in the end.

From a Reuters article, here are some telling quotes by housing experts and home buyers:

“Ten years back, most people wanted more space - now they want more

read more…

Defining ‘attainable/ affordable’ ‘hard/soft’ lofts

Sometimes brands become so associated with their past that there futures are limited by it, such as Polaroid and Kodak, which have long been synonymous with instant pictures and film processing. Both have quickly become obsolete in the digital transition.  Brand experts often suggest starting with a new name altogether.  Affordable housing is one of those.

The term affordable housing has come to be associated with government-subsidized or

read more…

Another ‘Why can’t more affordable housing look this good?‘

If you want a model example of how to blend a new building in with a landmark house (1907) in a historic (and very fun) neighborhood (Capitol Hill, Seattle), be affordable, transit-oriented and a green building as well, then the Pantages Apartments are a good place to start.  It’s featured in the American Institute for Architects’ new Affordable Housing Design Advisor website.

49 dwellings (45 in the new building, 4 in the

read more…

Why can’t more affordable housing look this good?

Yes, this is affordable housing!  It’s one development that visually stood out from the Smart Growth Illustrated set of case studies highlighted yesterday.

In Aspen, Colorado, the wealthy bid up the prices of homes in the city (average home price of $1.7 million - that’s not a typo!), resulting in traffic jams and air pollution from the commuting employees who couldn’t afford to live there.  It’s so bad that it’s nationally known as the

read more…