A Paradise of Small Houses

The Evolution, Devolution, and Potential Rebirth of Urban Housing

De: Max Podemski

Narrado por: Rob Greenbaum

Duración: 10 h y 16 m

Resumen del Editor

From the Haitian-style “shotgun” houses of the 19th century to the lavish high-rises of the 21st century, a walk through the streets of America’s neighborhoods that reveals the rich history—and future—of urban housing

The Philadelphia row house. The New York tenement. The Boston triple-decker. Every American city has its own iconic housing style, structures that have been home to generations of families and are symbols of identity and pride. Max Podemski, an urban planner for the city of Los Angeles and lifelong architecture buff, has spent his career in and around these buildings. Deftly combining his years of experience with extensive research, Podemski walks the listener through the history of our dwelling spaces—and offers a blueprint for how time-tested urban planning models can help us build the homes the United States so desperately needs.

In A Paradise of Small Houses, Podemski charts how these dwellings have evolved over the centuries according to the geography, climate, population, and culture of each city. He introduces the listeners to styles like Chicago’s prefabricated workers cottages and LA’s car-friendly dingbats, illuminating the human stories behind each city’s iconic housing type. Through it all, Podemski interrogates the American values that have equated home ownership with success and led to the US housing crisis, asking, “How can we look to the past to build the homes, neighborhoods, and cities of the future that our communities deserve?”

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Max Podemski (P)2024 Beacon Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

“His intelligent analysis and deep research lend strength to his conclusion that what is required to solve the housing crisis is not just more large-scale urban developments but the deregulation of what was once common—small-scale urban home-building by local businesses and families drawing on regional design traditions. It’s a must-read for housing advocates.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“[Podemski’s] argument is convincing. A thoughtful history of affordable housing that establishes the basis for reasoned discussion and well-informed policy.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Through this beautifully written and illustrated rich history of everyday houses that form our communities and neighborhoods, Max Podemski shares an insightful account of American cities and their urban development that will greatly appeal to architects, urban designers, planners, historians, housing advocates, and urbanists interested in just cities.”—Vinit Mukhija, author of Remaking the American Dream: The Informal and Formal Transformation of Single-Family Housing Cities

Interesting history of the history of the development of affordable housing throughout US history.

It highlights the effects of both over regulation and under regulation of different periods in history. Most of the development was driven by immigrants and workers, who, left to their own devices created vibrant communities with a strong social fabric. What I got out from the book is a sense that we have gotten away from valuing the closeness and emotional ties to an interrelated community in favor of bigger, fancier and more isolated homes. Developers of affordable homes are incentivized to build as cheaply as possible and avoid accountability for the externalities that result. I had wished for more ideas or strategies for building communities that are more cohesive and supportive, and homes that are durable and livable. The narration was terrific! I could listen to it all day. In fact I did.