Steinbach unanimously approves rezoning for plan to replace houses with 3 apartment buildings
An old Steinbach neighbourhood is about to change, and a lot of people aren't happy about that. Following its policy to increase housing density, council on Tuesday unanimously approved rezoning to allow a plan to replace two single-family houses on McKenzie Avenue with three apartment buildings.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/steinbach-rezoning-apartments-mckenzie-9.7157072?cmp=rss

#HousingDensity
a long read, (link at the very bottom) but imo interesting if you are interested in this sort of thing
——
the melbourne i grew up in is long gone, but i’m fascinated to see what is happening in places like moonee ponds, which have brilliant public transport and a great location going for them

one of my cousins is now in a mid rise apartment block in brunswick, a feature of which is a closed, common corridor straight down one side, and units leading off this corridor. each unit has a small balcony at the other end, and the lack of natural light in the afternoon drives her crazy, so she props her front door open. (this lets daylight pass from corridor windows into her unit, but robs her of privacy)

so, two links here… the first is about new building zones in victoria

the other is a long article, mainly comparing china w USA but also about buildings, and daylight generally.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-20/victorian-government-high-density-activity-centres-melbourne/104494852?

https://worksinprogress.co/issue/chinese-towers-and-american-blocks/

Victorian government announces 50 higher-density housing development zones across Melbourne

The Victorian government announces plans for 50 higher-density development zones around train and tram stations in Melbourne to facilitate the construction of hundreds of thousands of new homes.

ABC News

All the "corporation X new about externality Y for decades and did nothing" posts.

Yeah.

We have all known that automobiles are dirty, expensive, and unsafe for decades. Yet Americans fought against all the alternatives - on a grassroots level - for decades.

So lets just move on to supporting ALL the solutions. Blame is a distraction.

#ClimateChange #pollution #transportation #PublicTransport #publictransit #highspeedrail #urbanism #housingdensity #FuckCars #waroncars

_The Evening Post_, 1 May 1924:
          NELSON NEWS
   CITY COUNCIL MEETING

  When the bylaw fixing the minimum area of building sections came up for confirmation, Councillor Moffatt said there was a strong feeling in the city that the area should be one-eighth of an acre [505 m2], and not one-tenth [405 m2]. He was of opinion that in a residential city like #Nelson a minimum of a tenth of an acre was too small. He moved an amendment that the area be one-eighth. The motion was seconded by Councillor Nightingale.
  The Mayor said he had always supported an eighth of an acre.
  Councillor Edwards could not support the amendment. The matter had been thoroughly discussed, and a tenth agreed on. The amendment, if carried, would hit the working man hard, as there were no facilities for people getting to the outskirts of the city by trams, etc., like there were in big cities.…
  The amendment was lost.…
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19240501.2.108
#OnThisDay #OTD #PapersPast #Bylaws #Housing #HousingDensity #CityPlanning #UrbanPlanning #NewZealand
Canadians want denser housing so long as that triplex isn’t next door, poll finds

Residents ‘aren’t connecting’ housing supply needs to their own communities, experts say.

Toronto Star
#HousingDensity
'the #GreaterLondonAuthority’s housing design guidance doesn’t help. Its requirement for all apartments to be dual aspect drives developers towards point blocks or balcony access solutions, which were more commonplace in post-war redevelopment'
https://www.onlondon.co.uk/ben-derbyshire-solutions-for-londons-housing-crisis/
Ben Derbyshire: Solutions for London's housing crisis

Following a recent debate on the future of high-rise housing held at the office of my architectural practice, I was asked for my view of the solution to London’s housing crisis. I had already given this some thought. I wrote a book about the subject called Home Truths -

OnLondon

#Wildfire-Preparation Tactics Every Community Should Consider

It's time to start talking about this. But building true #ClimateResilience won't be easy.

You can say "Don't build with wood" but you'd have to upend the building industry.

You can say "Space homes 25 feet apart" but #HousingDensity is good for reducing #emissions.

You can say "Build #evacuation routes" but that leaves people without cars out of consideration (yes, there are such people, in the US)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-29/5-wildfire-preparation-tactics-every-community-should-consider

5 Wildfire-Preparation Tactics Every Community Should Consider

The way a community is designed, from construction materials to escape routes, can impact how quickly and dangerously a wildfire spreads.

Bloomberg
https://www.olympiatime.com/2023/02/how-our-history-of-downzoning-is.html Excellent and concise explanation connecting single-family zoning, “down zoning,” and local control to the increase in racially segregated housing in the Pacific Noryhwest (and perhaps most everywhere else in the U.S.?) since the 1970’s. #urbanism #racialinequality #housingcrisis #housingdensity
How our history of downzoning is an argument against "local control" in the legislature and has huge impacts on racial discrimination in housing

  Eastside Olympia in the midst of large downzone. As the legislature discusses zoning reform that would allow for modest density increases ...

Remaking our #suburbs' 1960s #apartment blocks: a subtle and greener way to increase #housingDensity

As #cities grow, new #buildings gradually replace the older ones. But there’s a risk current approaches to #urban renewal will produce poorer #amenities and buildings that are less flexible and more #environmentally #damaging than those they replace.

https://theconversation.com/remaking-our-suburbs-1960s-apartment-blocks-a-subtle-and-greener-way-to-increase-housing-density-190908

Remaking our suburbs' 1960s apartment blocks: a subtle and greener way to increase housing density

Ageing brick apartment buildings of two to three storeys are being redeveloped in many suburbs. Typically, they are knocked down to be replaced by much bigger developments. But here’s an alternative.

The Conversation