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JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.
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'Smart growth' is shaping the focus of modern housing development
Aug 27, 2008
From the Daily Press
The "smart growth" crowd is looking smarter all the time.
Here are some reasons why that's so in Dallas-Fort Worth and other fast-growing metropolitan regions around the country:
Record-high gasoline prices have made commutes much more costly, thus favoring those who follow the smart-growth concept of living close to where they work and play.
Escalating traffic congestion is eating up more of drivers' precious time, causing their idling vehicles to burn more fuel and increasing air pollution.
High-density, upscale condominium, town-home and apartment developments have mushroomed in numbers and value in heavily urbanized areas in recent years, including the once "dead" downtowns of Fort Worth and Dallas. Some downtown residents walk to work.
Residents of relatively new, far-flung ex-urban developments on the outer fringes of Dallas-Fort Worth and other metro areas are facing increasing challenges to their quality of life. They often endure expensive and time-consuming commutes to work or other regular destinations (e.g., major shopping malls, quality restaurants or children's schools) but are no longer consoled by the emotional balm of rapidly rising home values.
Read the rest of the article
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We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.
provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.
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