From the Haitian-style “shotgun” houses of the 19th century to the lavish high-rises of the 21st century, a walk through the streets of America’s neighborhoods that reveals the rich history—and future—of urban housing
The Philadelphia row house. The New York tenement. The Boston triple-decker. Every American city has its own iconic housing style, structures that have been home to generations of families and are symbols of identity and pride. Max Podemski, an urban planner for the city of Los Angeles and lifelong architecture buff, has spent his career in and around these buildings. Deftly combining his years of experience with extensive research, Podemski walks the reader through the history of our dwelling spaces—and offers a blueprint for how time-tested urban planning models can help us build the homes the United States so desperately needs.
In A Paradise of Small Houses, Podemski charts how these dwellings have evolved over the centuries according to the geography, climate, population, and culture of each city. He introduces the reader to styles like Chicago’s prefabricated workers cottages and LA’s car-friendly dingbats, illuminating the human stories behind each city’s iconic housing type. Through it all, Podemski interrogates the American values that have equated home ownership with success and led to the US housing crisis, asking, “How can we look to the past to build the homes, neighborhoods, and cities of the future that our communities deserve?”
“His intelligent analysis and deep research lend strength to his conclusion that what is required to solve the housing crisis is not just more large-scale urban developments but the deregulation of what was once common—small-scale urban home-building by local businesses and families drawing on regional design traditions. It’s a must-read for housing advocates.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“[Podemski’s] argument is convincing. A thoughtful history of affordable housing that establishes the basis for reasoned discussion and well-informed policy.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“If you love visiting, exploring, and thinking about American cities as much as I do, A Paradise of Small Houses is an indispensable travel companion. With this book, Max Podemski has fashioned a fantastic new lens through which to view the history and politics of redlining, zoning, housing affordability, urban design, and so much more. But mainly, the book is just plain fun.”
—Ray Delahanty, creator of CityNerd
“Through this beautifully written and illustrated rich history of everyday houses that form our communities and neighborhoods, Max Podemski shares an insightful account of American cities and their urban development that will greatly appeal to architects, urban designers, planners, historians, housing advocates, and urbanists interested in just cities.”
—Vinit Mukhija, author of Remaking the American Dream: The Informal and Formal Transformation of Single-Family Housing Cities
“From Boston’s triple-deckers to LA’s dingbats, Max Podemski shows not only the enduring beauty and charm of small houses but the essential role they play in the affordability and livability of American cities.”
—William Fulton, former director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University and author of Guide to California Planning
“If an author writes about the history and future of urban housing, and has references I didn’t know about, I have to read further. If the book not only tells me things I didn’t know about urban housing but also a new frame for thinking about it, well then, that’s worth paying for. Max’s book is worth it.”
—Gordon Price, former Vancouver city council member and founder and former director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University
INTRODUCTION
The House on Morrison
CHAPTER 1
Philadelphia Row House:
A Paradise of Small Houses
CHAPTER 2
New York City Tenement:
The Lowest Depth
CHAPTER 3
New Orleans Shotgun:
A Talking Place
CHAPTER 4
Chicago Workers Cottage:
The Pine Jungles
CHAPTER 5
Portland Bungalow:
The Progressive Era City
CHAPTER 6
Boston Triple-Decker:
The Zone of Emergence
CHAPTER 7
Los Angeles Dingbat:
The Dumb Box
CHAPTER 8
Vancouver Point Tower:
Cult of the View
CHAPTER 9
Houston Townhouse:
The House and the Town
CONCLUSION
The Tiny Tower
Acknowledgments
Notes
Credits
Index
- “Check out the Monitor’s 10 best books of June,” Christian Science Monitor, book featured in summer roundup
- “A Paradise of Small Houses,” AM Northwest/KATU TV (Portland), live interview
- “The Solution to Our Housing Problems May Be Right Next Door: My Conversation with Max Podemski,” Talk Cocktail with Jeff Schechtmann, podcast interview
- “Small Houses Pose Solution to Housing Crisis,” California Report/KQED Radio (NPR Bay Area), interview
- “Inglewood Unified Closes Schools, 25 Years Of The Noir City Festival, And How To Support A Loved One Through Depression,” AirTalk with Larry Mantle, podcast interview (begins at 34:18)
- “The future of Los Angeles housing can learn from Silver Lake, Fairfax and Crenshaw,” Los Angeles Times, op-ed
- “10 New Books to Read in March,” Arlington Magazine, included in reading roundup