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
Site of Race Riot in Springfield, Illinois, Designated as National Monument
President Biden has designated the site of the 1908 Springfield race riot as a national monument, honoring its historical significance.
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.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
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