Integrating multi-family housing into single-family neighborhoods.

The photos in this post show how to integrate multi-family housing into single-family neighborhoods. The two-story duplexes fit in easily and look like two-story single family homes. These buildings fit here partly because they are well-designed and consistent with the architectural character of the neighborhood. They also have the same front yard and side yard setbacks as the single family homes as well as detached garages. It's possible that a four plex of a similar size would also fit in easily, but that would depend on the neighborhood.  There's no good reason to start inserting too much density into a single-family neighborhood when there are other parts of the city that can more easily accommodate it. The images here just show that, if the community supports it, adding some modest density in single family neighborhoods can be done well. 

Cities planning new subdivisions should consider this sort of mixed density as a way of integrating different economic and social groups into neighborhoods. Definitely a better idea than large apartment complexes cordoned off from single-family by arterial streets and better than plopping a large apartment building right next to a single family home.  

 

 

 

 

You can learn a lot from a shopping center.

These are a few shots from Riverside Plaza in Riverside, CA. This small stretch of the Plaza is an example of how cities should build neighborhoods.  (The street could be narrower though.) Plenty of public space for people to sit and eat or just linger. The single ownership makes it easier to maintain and police these quasi public spaces than an public sidewalk, but the same sort of amenities could easily be provided on city sidewalks and paid for and maintain by a business improvement district.

 

 

 

It's unfortunate they didn't go all the way and better connect this shopping center to the streets around it. There's a mid century shopping district right across the street that could benefit from the connection. Oddly, they placed the traffic signal north of the street that could have easily connected with Riverside Plaza and made it easy for pedestrian to cross directly into that shopping center.

 

The intersection of Sunnyside Drive and Riverside Plaza is shown below.