Author Archives: Ross Chapin
Notre Dame and the Blue Macaw
The burning of Notre Dame is a devastating blow to the heart. I gasped when I first saw the images of the burning spire, and every time my thoughts turn to this historic loss, I feel shock, sadness and grief. … Continue reading
Posted in Sharing Culture
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Codes for Courtyards
Cottage Courtyard developments are becoming enticing alternatives to prevailing single-family and condo development patterns. But how and where can they get built? What zoning allows for them? Are there specific codes to enable cottage courtyard development? While many cities have … Continue reading
Posted in Codes & Guides, Design & Planning, New Urbanism
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Jane Jacobs at 100: Ideas That Live On
I’m enjoying reading articles here, here and here about Jane Jacobs, who would have been 100 years old today. Born in 1916, she was a self-taught urbanist and citizen activist who championed walking-scaled, neighborhood-centered cities. Though she had no college … Continue reading
Posted in Design & Planning, Design Bones, Great Neighborhoods
Tagged community vitality, Jane Jacobs
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A 4-Micro-Unit House
Continuing the small house thread from our last post, we’ve been brainstorming into how tiny houses (< 350 SF) may be a viable housing option. Rather than being low-profile ‘outlaw’ houses, lets bring them into the neighborhood. Let them stand … Continue reading
Better Together: Small House Living Thrives in a Community
Small houses are getting a lot of press these days. They are capturing our imagination, teasing our nesting instinct, and enticing us to consider the possibility of living with a smaller mortgage or less rent. Squeezed by the economy and a … Continue reading
Posted in Living in Community, Sharing Culture
Tagged Ben Brown, Bruce Tolar, Katrina Cottage, Marianne Cusato, not-so-big
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Pocket Neighborhoods for Special Niches
We are currently working on a new community to provide safe and permanent housing for adults with intellectual, developmental and acquired disabilities. Over the years we’ve helped create pocket neighborhoods for singles and empty nesters, market-rate multi-generational buyers and folks … Continue reading
Posted in Design & Planning, Design Bones, Design for Disabilties, Living in Community
Tagged Luna Azul, Mark Roth
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Messy and Complicated, or Nourishing and Supportive?
I was recently engaged in lively conversation among a group of small-scale developers that started with an online post about an innovative collective housing model in Berlin. The example was seen as an excellent opportunity for community-minded housing for friends, … Continue reading
Cohousing and Pocket Neighborhoods – What’s the Difference?
Cohousing has been taking hold across North America and around the world, offering an enticing option for people wanting to live in a more closely knit community. Some even call it a movement. Pocket Neighborhoods are being tossed around as … Continue reading
A Camp for Life-Long Children
I am engaging in a lively Facebook conversation with friends from high school. The thread stemmed from one of those alluring photos of a row of tiny houses for a group of friends. One of my classmates asked, half jokingly, if … Continue reading
10 Ways to Create Community Where You Live
Building a community from scratch is daunting, but the good news is that vibrant communities can grow from existing neighborhoods over time through the actions of people who live there, often without much money being spent. Right here, right now: … Continue reading
Posted in Design & Planning, Great Neighborhoods, Living in Community
Tagged community, garden, neighbors, pocket neighborhood
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The Good Porch
Summertime: a perfect time for porches. I grew up in a classic shingled bungalow with a wrap around porch. My sister’s family lives there now. The front porch faces the street and the lake (as many in Minnesota do); the … Continue reading
Posted in A Child's World, Design & Planning, Great Neighborhoods, Living in Community
Tagged pocket neighborhood, Porch
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Not Just Cute Cottages
Pocket Neighborhoods have received quite a bit of press since Ross Chapin Architects and The Cottage Company began building their communities in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. These intimate neighborhoods feature groupings of detached cottages and small homes clustered … Continue reading
The Garden Party
At the beginning of the Pocket Neighborhood book there is a story about a garden party I attended last summer. It was hosted by a friend in her orchard overlooking a broad valley — 20 guests at a long table … Continue reading
Seeding the World with Ideas
If you’ve spent any time at all on this website, you’ll see that there is a lot of information here. The question people sometimes ask me is, “why are you giving away your best ideas?” My answer is that I’m … Continue reading
We have Liftoff!
At long last, this website and blog about Pocket Neighborhoods goes out to the world! 1/11/11 — seems apropos for beginnings. Or, as it may be, the beginning of a new arc in the spiral of an idea that goes … Continue reading