Five young architects have taken over a derelict home in Detroit and are using it as a full-scale studio for new design ideas.
The five students from the University of Michigan pooled their funding and used part of it to buy a derelict house at auction for $500.
"From the get-go, the designers received some real street lessons in actualizing their concepts within Detroit's challenging framework of devastated neighborhoods. The house had no plumbing, electricity, doors, or windows. While these conditions would cause heart-stopping anxiety in any homeowner, it all came with the territory, according to fellow Catie Newell, who turned these challenges into assets: "Instantly, we had a site, materials, and something extraordinary to respond to." Vacant lots and abandoned homes fallen victim to foreclosure or arson surround the home. It's not likely these homes will be filled with residents anytime soon. This led the group to explore various interventions, challenging traditional single-family home typology."
FULL STORY: Domestic Intervention
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Over one half of Detroit's foreclosed homes are blighted or abandoned. Buyers who purchased the homes for as little as $1 have little incentive to keep them in good shape—or pay taxes.
Detroit Mayor Makes Big Plans in State of City Speech
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Paris Bike Boom Leads to Steep Drop in Air Pollution
The French city’s air quality has improved dramatically in the past 20 years, coinciding with a growth in cycling.
Why Housing Costs More to Build in California Than in Texas
Hard costs like labor and materials combined with ‘soft’ costs such as permitting make building in the San Francisco Bay Area almost three times as costly as in Texas cities.
San Diego County Sees a Rise in Urban Coyotes
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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.
Smith Gee Studio
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Santa Clarita
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service