Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Monday, December 09, 2019

Bad additions as an indicator of the need for architectural guidance

Speaking of saying the same stuff, for more than a decade, I've argued that DC needs "mandatory design review," not to be a pain in the a**, but to provide design guidance for projects that are clearly in need of it, in a city where historic residential architecture is a primary element of neighborhood and city identity.

-- "Other arguments for mandatory design review," 2013
-- "Changing matter of right zoning regulations for houses to conform to heights typical within neighborhoods, not the allowable maximum," 2012

Very bad pop up addition on a rowhouse, 163 Rhode Island Avenue NE

"Tear up" of a colonial revival house, 6400 block of 9th Street NW, addition

WRT rowhouse additions, I'm not necessarily against them, but so many are done so badly.  There needs to be a requirement for like materials, etc.

I've argued for many many years that it wouldn't be too hard, I don't think, to provide systematic guidance through a pattern book.

The Chicago Bungalow Association has produced such a guide, The Bungalow Expansion Project Book, out of their #StopThePop initiative, addressing a similar problem.



You can buy the book, but it's also downloadable for free.

They have other cool merchandise, including prints, a wall calendar, a bungalow style birdhouse, and window planter boxes.




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