"The (Still) Dreary Deadlock of Public Housing," from Places
Places Journal is among the best contemporary sources of insight into the fields of architecture, landscape, and urbanism. Founded at MIT and Berkeley in 1983, it is published out of San Francisco by the editorial team of Nancy Levinson, Josh Wallaert, Deborah Lilley, and Frances Richard. Places’ articles range in form and length, bridging from the university to the profession to the public. Periodically, it republishes seminal texts from earlier decades with commentary by contemporary scholars. In October 2018, Barbara Penner introduced Catherine Bauer’s “The Dreary Deadlock of Public Housing,” which originally appeared in Architectural Forum in May 1957, when Bauer was on the Berkeley faculty.
“Half a House” & “Immobile Homes”: podcasts from 99% Invisible
99% Invisible, created and hosted by Roman Mars, is one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes. Begun as a project of KALW public radio and AIA San Francisco, it is about “all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.” In Episode 231, “Half a House,” producer Sam Greenspan explores Villa Verde, an incremental housing project in Constitución, Chile, by Elemental, the firm of Pritzker Prize winner Alejandro Aravenna. In Episode 307, “Immobile Homes,” producer Emmett FitzGerland visits the Applewood mobile home community for seniors in Midvale, Utah.
"The Architecture of Our Self-Driving Future," from the IntuArch Blog
In “The Architecture of Our Self-Driving Future,” Michael Wacht, AIA, principal of IntuArch in Los Angeles, has produced seven brief case study analyses of changes in land use that may be prompted by the introduction of self-driving vehicles. Three of the case studies are of Los Angeles housing types.
"The Block That Prop. 13 Built," from The California Dream
The California Dream series is a statewide collaboration between Capital Public Radio, KQED, KPCC, KPBS, and CALmatters, focused on key issues of economic opportunity, quality of life, and the future of the “California Dream.” Article series related to housing include “The High Cost of Housing,” “Homelessness,” and “Prop 13,” including "The Block That Prop. 13 Built," a study of where Prop. 13 has been most valuable to homeowners and most costly to city governments.
"Worship Street, London," from Native Places
Native Places is the blog of Raleigh, North Carolina, architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, in which he shares “a collection of thoughts and hand-drawn sketches that illustrate the value of looking closely at buildings and places.” His post of 22 March 2016 looks at a row of studio houses designed by Philip Webb in Shoreditch, London, in 1861. Their combination of residence, studio, and shop still resonates. Native Places was published as a book by ORO Editions in 2018.
"Navigating the Hills of Affordable Housing: An Interview with Architect David Baker," from ARCADE
ARCADE is a Seattle-based nonprofit that creates opportunities for sharing ideas about design, culture, and the built environment. Its eponymous magazine, edited by former arcCA Editorial Board member Kelly Rodriguez, regularly features interviews conducted by BUILD LLC, a multidisciplinary design firm run by Kevin Eckert, Andrew van Leeuwen, Sandy Ha, and Bart Gibson. In "Navigating the Hills of Affordable Housing," they speak with David Baker, FAIA, of David Baker Architects, San Francisco.
After Ghost Ship: selections from Take Shape No. 1
In December 2016, thirty-six young concertgoers lost their lives in a fire at Ghost Ship, a DIY venue in a warehouse in Oakland. In August 2017, Nolan Boomer, Cole Cataneo, Julia Goodman, and Sean Suchara launched the print journal Take Shape. Assembled here from Take Shape 1 are Jaime Omar Yassin’s “No Place For Artists: Housing Policy in the Wake of Ghost Ship,” as republished online by Archinect, and Sam Winks’s “DIY Housing Reading List.” Within Yassin’s article are interspersed pages from Take Shape 1, including the editors’ “Safety Tips for DIY Living.” Further resources for making DIY venues safer can be found at Safer DIY Spaces, Safer Spaces, and DIY Venue Harm Reduction. [Please note that reference to these resources does not represent endorsement by AIA California.]
