Dwell vs. Affordable Homes
The seduction of Dwell magazine, modern, hip, design oriented is appealing, but not always affordable. Re creating historic modernism can be expensive, How can we thoughtfully engineer and design affordable homes? It is a problem that confounds me.
We have been conditioned to think, and in turn buy homes based on quantity (sq.ft.), not quality. Strangely, we possess this thinking with food too. A home should be a shelter, a place to raise a family, to be connected to our neighbors.
Demographics are rapidly changing, note our recent election, families are smaller, desire for modest-quality built homes will grow, 60 million new homes are projected to be built in the next 30 years. Simplicity and moderation are appropriate now. We can and should be able to accommodate good design and affordability.
Local CDC’s are building well built green affordable homes. Rehabilitating existing homes is certainly a green, cost-effective approach to affordable housing.
We must think smaller, while remaining creative and sustainable. If you build inexpensively look for others who share your passion. The challenge is before us.
Page Wilson, LEED AP PaulPageDwellings.com