Driving along I-95 from Virginia to New England, I noticed how many townhouse-style developments have cropped up where apartment complexes would have been built a decade ago. Here is an example of the demand for housing shifting in a small but significant way. True, cute urban-looking townhouses plopped down on greenfields next to highway on-ramps, miles from the old city or town center, is not exactly smart growth. But there seems to have been a change in what people are looking for in their homes, and developers recognize it.
People are looking for front entrances to their houses that take them directly to a street, not to a parking lot. And they value a traditional architectural style that fits with the region they are moving to. Is there more of a sense of community in this type of development than in the apartment-style complexes? Perhaps not a lot more. But if a townhouse includes a bit of yard space out front (many do not), there’s more of an opportunity for neighbors to meet each other on their own turf. This is a quality often missing in high-density apartment and condo developments, as I noted in a previous Rooflines post.
It seems to me that the shift in the market in recent years toward townhouses is a small step forward. Now if we could just develop real village centers around the townhouses, with shops, transit and recreational opportunities, we’d be on to something big.
About the Author
Tags
Comments
One thought on “Considering the Townhouse”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
a townhouse includes a bit of yard space out front, there’s more of an opportunity for neighbors to meet each other on their own turf.