From eMissourian.com writer Paul Hackbarth: "This four-family unit townhouse is the first new building to be constructed at the Rhine River Development on West Front Street. Unerstall Construction Company is the developer of the $7.8 million project that, once completed, will include several townhouses and commercial buildings. The first phase of the project involves subdividing the tract into 12 lots, including eight for townhouse units facing Front Street and four other lots for mixed uses. Work on four of the townhouses is nearing completion and one unit has already been sold. Each townhouse unit will be two stories and about 2,200-2,500 square feet." Full article here.
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New townhouses and narrow streets go together like...old townhouses and narrow streets
From New World Economics writer Nathan Lewis, via Old Urbanist: "Our theme here is to show examples of nice urban places for people. They usually share the characteristic of a 'Really Narrow Street'. There is a minimum of 'Non-Place', such as parking lots and 'green space'. Everything is a Place for people to interact and do the things they do.
"Here is a new development called Village Square in Burlington, Canada [pictured above]. It is, I think, the first example I have seen of Traditional City design used in new construction in North America -- at least, outside of an amusement park. For one thing, the architecture is very good. Once you make the streets Really Narrow, and appropriate for pedestrians, then everything tends to take a big step up because the architecture is designed for interaction with humans, instead of just fronting a huge parking lot. Overall, it is a big success. See? It's not so hard to do. You just do it.
"We have a few others joining the 'Traditional Cities' 
movement (it's a movement now!). For example Small Streets. [Gallery of small streets lined with townhouses, such as at right.] These are traditional attached houses. Note how they don't have the typical enormous front stair that characterises the 19th Century Hypertrophic townhouse. That huge front stair is, I argue, a natural reaction of wanting to distance yourself from the noisy, automobile-dominated 19th Century Hypertrophic street. When you front a nice little pedestrian street, houses typically have entrances at ground level." Full post dated November 6, 2011 here.
Urban neighborhoods need "vast cultural institutions" or "stimulating everyday locales"?
From New Urban Network writer Philip Langdon: "An article in the November Atlantic reveals, not very surprisingly, that civic leaders in Kansas City, Missouri, are out to attract the 'creative class' — 'well-educated workers with bourgeois-bohemian tastes whom urban scholars have identified as the engine of urban growth.' "I peered at The Atlantic’s photo of what Kansas City is building to lure the creatives, and thought for a moment I was viewing a gigantic armadillo. It’s the Kauffman Center, a $326 million performing arts facility — purportedly a means for enticing talented young people to Missouri’s second-largest metropolis.
"My understanding of the Richard Florida take on urban development is that bright young workers are less interested in vast cultural and entertainment institutions than in having access to stimulating everyday locales — places they can walk to from their workplaces or their homes.
"Maybe Kansas City should have sent some of its leadership to Long Island City, Queens, New York, last weekend. That’s where — in a former greeting card factory — roughly 150 people argued for urban improvements conceived and carried out on a small, much more personal scale.
"Tony Garcia of Street Plans Collaborative posed a question: 'What’s the value system of development in cities?' He answered: 'It’s megadevelopment,' not small projects that individuals can do. In his view, which strikes me as exactly right, that’s part of the reason change is so urgently needed. 'We need to return to smaller projects,' Garcia contended. 'That’s the scale we want to build our cities at.' I sensed no disagreement from the crowd." Full article here.
Continuing coverage of exemplary Cincinnati OTR urban neighborhood revitalization
From Urban Land writer Mike Sheridan, continuing coverage of the exemplary Over-the-Rhine (Cincinnati, OH) neighborhood revitalization: "Only a few years ago, OTR was known for having one of the highest crime rates in the city. Today, the area — believed to be the largest, most intact urban historic district in the United States — has been transformed into one of Cincinnati’s most vibrant sectors.
"The reason? Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC)—a private, nonprofit corporation that not only targeted OTR for a makeover but also refurbished Fountain Square and continues to revitalize Cincinnati’s central business district (CBD). '3CDC is not only physically changing the neighborhood but culturally as well and financing it creatively using public/private financing driven by the private sector,' says Thomas Murphy, a senior resident fellow, ULI/Klingbeil Family Chair for urban development, and former mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"There are a number of reasons for the success 3CDC has experienced in Cincinnati, says Stephen G. Leeper, a ULI member and president and CEO of 3CDC. 'We limited our geographic scope in terms of where we would invest. We targeted our funds and targeted our efforts to areas where we could show visible progress. With OTR, we had something spectacular to work with. OTR was still intact, although it was a troubled area. The physical infrastructure, though deteriorated, remained intact, so we had a real asset to work with.'
"Leeper would advise other cities seeking to replicate the success of 3CDC to focus on a particular neighborhood. 'Define an area where investment would make a real difference -- an area that will allow change to occur,' he continues. 'Make big plans but don’t expand your scope too far. Think big but go small.'" Full article here (requires ULI membership).
Harlem townhouse is reminder that small buildings deal with context more than large ones
From Harlem Bespoke, a reminder that small buildings must deal with context much more than large buildings that share a block with only two, one, or even zero other buildings: "This townhouse is probably one of the better examples of what a modern contextual building might look like for a brownstone neighborhood. This 2-family house is definitely contemporary in nature but the generous proportions of the windows and the presence of a stoop gives it a classic nuance that helps the building fit in with the immediate block. Everything appears to even visually line up horizontally with the other brownstones on the block but for some reason the building was not built taller which is what most current developers tend to aim for. Another plus is that those facade-piercing air conditioners are not present." Full post here.
Small urban spaces instructive for fine-grained infill design, collected in latest Dwell magazine
Before the month is over, I have to mention the latest issue of Dwell has as its theme "Smaller & Smarter", which is redundant but represents a welcome continuation of Dwell's coverage of small urban spaces that have a lot to teach. Featured spaces include:
- Erich Sattler Winery in Austria designed by Architects Collective, pictured above ("The courtyard is formed by the traditional L-shaped residential buildings surrounding")
- A 270 sq ft, 4-story apartment in Paris designed by Lode Architecture, pictured below ("I think spatial and technical constraints are good for the imagination")
- A flat designed by LOT-EK that wraps around a central staircase in a narrow
West Village walk-up ("We wanted to turn the problem on its head so that the two dark corridors became the most beautiful spaces")
Sadly, none of these made it onto the Dwell website...so subscribe already!
Oklahoma City townhouses based on "time-tested template" and built to "endure for centuries"
From loyal reader Tom Johnson, a townhouse project in Oklahoma City called the Brownstones at Maywood Park. "When I saw what was being done in a city with such little density as Oklahoma City, I thought that it might be worthwhile to pass along. It's an extremely nice neighborhood."
The townhouses, developed by Triangle Partners and designed by TAP Architecture, are brick luxury townhouses with Western facade details. From the developer's website: "The Brownstones are a hybrid of history and progressive thinking, based on a concept formulated by a group of University of Oklahoma architecture students. The time-tested template of high-end urban communities being comprised of rowhouses, or brownstones, brings the New York feel to Oklahoma City. Instead of sprawling outward in typical suburban style, each individual home is constructed vertically, up to 3.5 stories tall at 3550 square feet.
"The Brownstones offer the latest technology in construction, insulating concrete forms (ICF). It is the choice in LEED Certified construction and creates an energy efficient structure. With rich components of slate tile, copper, and wrought iron, along with the finest masonry brick, cladding each Brownstone’s ICF substructure, the Brownstones embrace 'green' sustainable building technologies, and will endure for literally centuries with very low maintenance or upkeep costs. These ‘legacy’ homes can truly be expected to be passed from generation to generation." Listing with floorplans here.
Miami urbanists see challenges of small-scale infill, but benefits win. How to incentivize?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi5idjDna24] Two items via Transit Miami. First, above, the smartest short video I have ever seen, Victor Dover of Dover Kohl on the merits and challenges of small-scale infill. Second, a guest post by one of Victor's co-workers, Jason King, from which I will copy a teaser: "You can say that the urban fabric of Paris (and indeed all great cities) is composed of some basic elements: civic buildings; townhouses and small scale urban buildings in between, typically with cafes and stores at street level; variations on public space; and pedestrian streets.
"What if Paris could only keep one of these elements? Which is the more essential to Paris’ identity? My guess is that newlyweds would still go to Paris from throughout the world to sit in cafes and wonder upward at the cast iron balconies even if Paris lacked the Eiffel Tower. I doubt that the parks and plazas of Paris would be used as much, or at all, if they required a freeway commute to reach.
"Paris does not have to choose, but as urbanists in Miami we must prioritize. The popular dialogue in Miami concerning these four elements seems to value the reverse order. Starchitect new buildings (the stadium, Arsht Center, etc.) and experimental forms of landscape architecture (Bicentennial Park) are most likely to be on the minds of the city and county commisioners. But the streets and buildings of our daily routine need, if only by virtue of being more plentiful items than the other two, far more consideration than they are currently given." Full post here.
Net zero energey townhouses in Issaquah, Washington are completed, set example
200th post! A year ago I posted about a proposed development of townhouses in Issaquah, Washington that would be zero net energy. Well, they got built. From Jetson Green writer Preston: "The homes go on sale this month and have received national attention. Homes in this community will use zero net energy — after considering all energy used and produced during a year — and zHome may just be the first townhome project in the country to achieve such a feat. zHome is developed by Matt Howland and Ichijo USA with the sponsorship of the City of Issaquah and the assistance of Built Green, King County, Port Blakely Communities, Puget Sound Energy, and the Washington State University Energy Program." Full post here. And from the Issaquah Post, an interview with the Ichijo USA project manager.
Washington, DC inner suburb townhouses are walkable, adaptable, and neighborly
From Washington Post writer Lea Winerman: "For James Foley, moving back to Warwick Village 10 years ago meant getting his weekends back. Foley, a chef, didn’t like having to drive everywhere, and he didn’t like spending his weekends mowing his lawn and tending to a house that felt too big. 'We love the neighborhood,' he said. 'You can walk to everything . . . and something about the townhouse setup seems to encourage neighborliness. You see people sitting on their front steps talking.'
"Warwick Village includes more than 600 nearly identical brick townhouses built beginning in 1953 on what had been the country home of a wealthy D.C. businessman named Frank Hume. The townhouses were originally built as rentals. In 1970, they were converted to individual properties. From the outside, the neighborhood’s homes are almost indistinguishable from one another, save for some different paint choices.
"But inside, residents have reconfigured the two-story-plus-basement brick boxes in every possible way, sometimes combining three small bedrooms into two larger ones, opening up kitchens and adding bathrooms. 'One of the nice things about the houses is that there are no interior load-bearing walls, so you can really do whatever you want,' said Jen Walker, a real estate agent with McEnearney & Associates.
"The neighborhood is an easy commute downtown by bus and Metro. Mount Vernon Avenue — Del Ray’s lively main street, lined with shops and restaurants — is about a 10-minute walk away. Residents can also walk to five neighborhood parks, two farmers markets and other amenities." Full article here.
Portland suburban builder switches to small-scale urban infill, despite long list of challenges
From the Oregonia writer Elliot Njus: "When Renaissance Homes filed for bankruptcy in 2008, the builder was known for sprawling subdivisions on the fringes of Portland. Two years after emerging with a reorganization plan, the company has positioned itself as the No. 1 builder within the city of Portland -- building mostly one-off houses in long-established neighborhoods.
"It's an unusual move for a builder the size of Renaissance. Bottom line: Building in the suburbs is cheaper and easier. The sites are closely grouped with plenty of space for equipment, and all the infrastructure is new. Permitting several sites in a planned residential area is a breeze compared with doing one at a time in the city.
"Building in existing neighborhoods comes with obstacles not seen in the suburbs, and that makes most larger builders wary. Infill development is expensive and risky, and builders lose many of the advantages that come with scale. It's difficult to find and secure suitable lots, and staging and staffing costs rise without the advantages of scale. The projects often require costly infrastructure upgrades, like increased sewer or electric capacity. In the neighborhoods where the company is siting its new homes in Portland, there's usually little parking, and some haven't seen a new home built in decades.
"There isn't much room for mistakes with the new strategy. With the increased expenses, homes in the infill market have narrower margins than their counterparts in the suburban subdivisions. But company president Randy Sebastian thinks the days of building on the fringes -- the strategy that got his company into trouble -- is coming to an end. 'We've made mistakes, but we're learning every day,' Sebastian said." Full article here.
Brooklyn brownstone adaptation memories, inimitable storytelling by This Old House
[dailymotion id=x81v7x] From the book The Best Homes from This Old House by host Kevin O'Connor, via TODAY Books: "In 2008, Kevin Costello, his wife, Karen Shen, and their three children sat on the stoop of an old, run-down brownstone in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights, smiling as they considered their good luck at having purchased the century-old boardinghouse behind them. In Brooklyn, stoops serve as front yards, and now this stoop in this up-and-coming neighborhood was theirs, with all of its problems — and all of its promise.
"Constructed in 1904, this brownstone was one of thousands built at the beginning of the twentieth century to provide housing for the legions of people working in the boroughs of New York City, Manhattan in particular. At some point, probably in the 1940s, a previous owner had converted the building into a rooming house, surely to make some money off the young men returning to New York after World War II. The building had been divided into nine separate units. Ironically, the building’s neglect turned out to be its saving grace. Previous owners had made few improvements but also few changes.
"'This Old House' had never worked in New York City before, and now that we were there, it made sense to work on the city’s iconic housing style: the brownstone. To me, the word 'brownstone' inspires visions of elegant façades and stately buildings lining the avenues of expensive neighborhoods in New York, Boston, or other American cities. But the truth about these buildings is that in many neighborhoods, they were designed for middle-income families: worker housing, rolled out four to six at a time by developers building densely packed, affordable homes in much the same way that modern subdivisions are built today.
"Karen and Kevin wanted to build a home for their family but needed some rental income to help pay for the recent purchase and pending renovation. The plan was to renovate the first and second floors for their family and then to create two rental apartments, one on the top floor and another on the garden level. Karen and Kevin hoped to take back the top floor in about five years, after replenishing their savings and paying off some of the mortgage, so their family could spread out.
"We pieced back together the once chopped-up building and ended up with three kitchens, four bathrooms, and six bedrooms in three distinct units. For a century our brownstone had been reconceived and repurposed by its many occupants, whether they were families, tenants, or landlords. And in 2008, the house was again transformed to serve the needs of new owners." Full excerpt here.
Thailand townhouse development industry sees intense competiton, now and future
From the Nation writer Somluck Srimalee: "Top-ranked property firm Pruksa Real Estate has set its sights on leadership of the townhouse market in the price range between Bt3 million and Bt5 million ($100,000 to $160,000) by 2017, according to the company's director and chief business officer Piya Prayong. Although Pruksa is currently market leader in the overall townhouse segment, with a market share of more than 50 per cent, it is ranked fourth behind Asian Property Development, Sansiri and Supalai in the townhouse segment with prices between Bt3 million and Bt5 million.
"Pruksa is aiming to achieve second ranking in the Bt3 million to Bt5 million townhouse segment next year by targeting sales of Bt2.8 billion -- an increase of 12 per cent over expected sales of Bt2.5 billion from the segment this year. 'We are also aiming to achieve sales of Bt7 billion in 2017 from townhouses priced between Bt3 million and Bt5 million, under the brand The Connect. This will make us the market leader in this segment,' Piya said. Pruksa is planning 11 new projects branded The Connect this year, offering prices ranging from Bt3 million and Bt5 million per unit. The projects will have a combined market value of Bt8 billion. Nine have already been launched" Full article here.
New real estate entrepreneurs finding success with small, adaptable urban buildings
Congratulations to Tony Cho, founder of Metro 1 Properties, who was recently named ULI South Florida/Caribbean Young Leader of the Year. Metro 1 is a full-service real estate brokerage and investment company that began with a focus on small, adaptable urban buildings and aligned itself with green and sustainable initiatives. I think Tony earned his award by taking a risk on sustainable urbanism when very few Miami real estate companies would.
From the other side of the world, I received a comment from 
readers at Village in the City, a real estate investment and development company "dedicated to producing an alternative to condo life in Bangkok: affordable modern living in an urban environment". In other words, I think they buy shophouses, fix them up, and rent them. Like Metro 1, they seem to be gaining a foothold in the industry by focusing on what others overlook: small, adaptable urban buildings. And thus concludes Shophouse Week!
Singapore architecture firm adapts six shophouses into office with flexible plan
Shophouse Week! From Arch Daily writer Megan Jett: "Inhabiting 6 converted shop house units at the confluence of Singapore’s historic Chinatown area and the CBD, Ministry of Design’s own design studio employs the same key principles which govern its approach to design – typological relevance, a disciplined material and tonal palette and an ‘essential’ concept.
From the firm: "We feel strongly that open communication is key to innovation and creativity; as such, our space would be without hierarchy or barriers, a truly open office. All new interventions are conceived as objects within the landscape of the existing space and are designed to remain visually 
separated. The entry Gallery space allows for constant renewal and an avenue to express ourselves without needing to reinvent the entire studio." Full article with image gallery here. (Photo credit: CI&A Photography.)
Singapore "streets lined with shophouses are more welcome to many than high-rise buildings"
Shophouse Week! From Her World writer Hong Xinying: "Streets still lined with shophouses are a sight more welcome to many than the glass-and-metal sleekness of modern, high-rise buildings. Call it nostalgia if you wish, even if it’s an age that some of us have never lived through.
"These days, such streets are thronged with 
fewer old trades, more restaurants and, most recently, a string of artisanal coffee cafes. Eco-chic newcomer Maison Ikkoku is one such recent addition to the Kampong Glam area; but it comes with a difference. Maison Ikkoku doesn’t just serve up good cups of java. It is a cafe, a multi-label menswear boutique and a bar, all within one three-storey shophouse." Full article here.
Kuala Lumpur shophouse history observed, studied, and transformed into art
Shophouse Week! From the Star (Malaysia) writer Tip Yoke Teng: "The best way to admire the beauty of old shophouses in Kuala Lumpur is — ironically — not by making a trip to the now jam-packed confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers where the city grew, but through the exquisite drawings of Victor Chin. With captivating details, his watercolour works depict the original facades of the shophouses, the various trades and the down-to-earth activities conducted within — much to the contrast of the structures’ current state, splattered with algae, graffiti, or cheap renovation.
"One step at a time, he walked the old streets of Kuala Lumpur, then Malacca, Penang, and Singapore since 1992 to document these historical buildings. 'I remember having to say goodbye to the operators of all my favourite stalls because of those demolitions that were going on in the name of urban renewal,' recalled the 62-year-old artist, writer, photographer and social activist who spent most of his life championing for heritage conservation. 'As an artist, what do you do when you see such things? How can you be a true son of the city?'
"He is touted as the pioneer in preserving the country’s architectural heritage through art and he had inspired many others to venture into this art form. He also designed a walking tour for Chinatown, introducing locations that reflected the area’s rich history dating back to 1850, first a malaria-infested swamp crammed with southern Chinese workers who came for tin-mining, then rebuilt with brick and mortar under the British rule, and recently a commercial centre that is the pulse of Kuala Lumpur. 'By 1889, there were 500 brick shophouses around the confluence, they were typically 35ft x 70ft per lot. The design was a grand amalgamation of Europe, Malay and Chinese influences, and formed our unique streetscape.'" Full article here.
Bangkok shophouses "least awe-inspiring architecture" but win UNESCO award
Shophouse Week continues, and 15,000 hits! From Deutsche Presse-Agentur writer Peter Janssen: "It’s hard to imagine an architectural style less awe-inspiring than that of the shophouse, those commercial, cement structures that abound in Bangkok, and form a uniformly dull backdrop to nearly all provincial capitals throughout Thailand. The simple shophouse is the essence of utilitarianism, designed to house a shop on the ground floor and living quarters above. Architectural flourishes are, generally, kept to the minimum.
"There are, of course, exceptions. Some of the more striking shophouses are to be found in Bangkok’s Rattanakosin district and Chinatown, its congested neighbor. Earlier this month, the UNESCO awarded the recently renovated Na Phra Lan shophouse row an 'honorable mention' on its Asian heritage list.
"King Chulalongkorn, the fifth monarch of the Chakri dynasty who reigned from 1868 to 1910, played a pivotal role in introducing shophouse architecture to old Bangkok. 'King Rama V saw what Singapore was doing with Stamford Raffles’ idea of the shophouse, and after that, he copied the idea of shophouse building,' said Yongtanit Pimonsathean, president of the International Council on Monument and Sites Thailand Association and professor of architecture at Thammasat University.
"In 1995, the government announced plans to turn both the Tha Tian and Na Phra Lan neighborhoods into heritage sites, with evictions of local communities planned. Community resistance was strong and the eviction plans were eventually shelved. Instead, the Crown Property Bureau opted for a more inclusive approach by trying to persuade the existing tenants to participate in refurbishing their shophouses, many of them more than a century old." Full article here, lecture by Prof. Pimonsathean on shophouse preservation here. (Photo credit: TTR Weekly.)
Shophouse development sells newspapers in Borneo, featured in five recent articles
Shophouse Week! Leading up to the Sarawak Builders’ Expo (SARBEX) 2011 Total Living organised by the Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association, the Borneo Post provided extensive coverage of shophouse developers.
Lee Ling Construction & Development: "Managing director Roger Tiang said that the company would be giving special emphasis on the Lee Ling Heights project. The Lee Ling Heights project, taking up an area of 68 acres, will consist of 190 units of semi-detached double storey houses, 190 units of double storey terrace houses, 177 units of one-and-a-half storey terrace houses and a total of 81 shophouse units when completed. The entire project would consist of 11 segments, of which Phases 2, 3, 4 were completed and Phases 1 and 5 planned to be launched. The company would also be promoting its developments in the Matang area with the Lee Ling Commercial Centre. So far, 16 units of three-storey shophouses have been built with approved plans to build 11 more units measuring 20 ft by 60 ft." Full article here.
MD Kwang Tai Realty: "The Central City shophouses received an overwhelming response from property investors as those early birds will enjoy access to the Square, the two-storey wet market and food court. 'Currently, we have another commercial project named Ee Ann City which offers three and fours-storey Shophouses [pictured above] near to where the main bazaar is. There are a total of up to 101 units of shophouse under this project', the company also announced." Full article here.
Pantai Bayu: "The Miri Marina Park developer is expected to launch the second phase of its shophouse development next year following the good response to the first phase. The first phase included two seven-storey blocks, eight four-storey blocks and the remaining three-storey blocks, and the second phase is almost a replica of the first." Full article here.
Sim Swee Yong Development & Construction: "Recently, 
the company completed 82 units of shophouses and two units of eight-storey towers at the Kota Sentosa Commercial Centre. Currently, the company is in the process of constructing 26 units of double-storey shophouses at Jalan Matang [pictured]." Full article here.
Silverdrum Corporation: "Answering the heightening demands of high-end commercial properties in Kuching, the company recently launched its 2nd Precinct shophouses to the public." Full article here.
Singapore shophouse adapted to pod hostel with luxuries like electrical outlets
Shophouse Week! From the Today (Singapore) writer Serene Lim: "Selling yet another side of Singapore is new hostel Matchbox The Concept Hostel. It isn't your usual run-of-the-mill dorm -- the only pod-style hostel in South-east Asia occupies a shophouse building in Ann Siang Road.
"On top of that, the Singaporean spirit shines through in several touches: it's furnished with homegrown Ministry of Chair beanbags. Matchbox also supports local institution Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) by exhibiting paintings done by their students, and all donations collected will be given back to the school.
"With its private two-bed mixed dormitory, 12 single-bed ladies' dormitory and an 18-bed mixed dormitory all arranged pod-style, as well as other thoughtful -- and complimentary -- add-ons like an electrical socket in each pod, Matchbox sees itself as appealing to 'discerning working professionals who love travel and immersing in another's culture while appreciating good value,' said Cass Kong, marketing manager for Matchbox." Full article here.