Design & Planning

Read more about the article What Makes a Good Porch?
Design Bones / Home Design / Privacy and Personal Space / Home / Design & Planning / Living in Community / Cottages / Small House / Not So Big House / Blog-Plans / Details that Make a Difference

What Makes a Good Porch?

The magic of a front porch comes from the way it is both private and public—belonging to the household, yet open to passersby. Sometimes it’s the perfect spot for reading a book or taking an afternoon nap. Other times it hosts a laptop supper or good conversation with friends.  …

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May 28, 2025
Read more about the article Essential Design Features

Essential Design Features

Essential Design Features of Pocket Neighborhoods Scale of SociabilityScale of Sociability Humans are wired for connection. We love to chat, tell stories, reminisce, and laugh. In small groups, conversation flows effortlessly—it’s what we do naturally. At this dinner party, the guests all gathered to raise a toast to the host,…

Read more about the article Codes for Courtyards
Codes & Guides / New Urbanism / Blog-RCA / Design & Planning

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 planned unit development (PUD) permitting tracks that allow such development,…

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January 3, 2025
Read more about the article Planning and Design

Planning and Design

Planning & Design   With over four decades of experience in architecture and community planning, Ross Chapin brings a deep commitment to human-scaled living, ecological stewardship, and the creation of places that foster connection and belonging. His work has helped shape a national movement toward pocket neighborhoods and walkable, resilient…

Read more about the article Jane Jacobs: Ideas That Live On
TORONTO, ON: Jane Jacobs outside her home on Spadina Road just north of Bloor Street. Photo taken by Frank Lennon/Toronto Star Dec. 21, 1968. Toronto's in good shape, says author Jane Jacobs, but "We've got to be thinking about how we make sure it stays that way." Just being Canadian gives it some advantage, she says, but she fears amalgamation will bring some of the problems of cities like New York." (Frank Lennon/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Blog-RCA / Design & Planning / Great Neighborhoods / Design Bones

Jane Jacobs: Ideas That Live On

I’m enjoying reading articles here, here and here about Jane Jacobs. Born in 1916, she was a self-taught urbanist and citizen activist who championed walking-scaled, neighborhood-centered cities. Though she had no college degree or professional training, she took on the power brokers of New York’s urban renewal policies of the…

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January 1, 2025
Read more about the article Pocket Neighborhoods for Special Niches
Blog-RCA / Design & Planning / Living in Community / Design Bones / Design for Disabilties / Pocket Neighborhoods / Site Planning / Design Patterns / Design for Disabilities

Pocket Neighborhoods for Special Niches

Here is a community designed 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 needing affordable housing. When developer Mark Roth approached us about creating a safe…

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September 16, 2015
Read more about the article Cohousing vs Pocket Neighborhoods – What’s the Difference?
A Child's World / Cohousing / Design Bones / Blog-RCA / Design & Planning / Living in Community / Featured / Pocket Neighborhoods / Site Planning / Design Patterns / Cohousing / What's the Difference?

Cohousing vs 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 a viable housing approach within existing neighborhoods, as well as…

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August 22, 2015