Defined as "living street," the Dutch term Woonerf is characterized by shared spaces for pedestrians and vehicles, slower speed limits for both cars and walking.
At a recent conference, KTGY architects Alan Scales and Ken Ryan presented case studies for two new-home communities influenced by the tenets of Woonerf design: street-oriented landscaping, home plans designed to offer livable space indoors and outdoors, and creative street layouts, showing how the projects achieved robust sales at higher price points in a high-density environment, writes John Burns Real Estate Consulting principal Pete Reeb.
On the panel, I highlighted how our consumer research shows that certain homebuyers are willing to compromise on density and/or product type, given the reality of home options where they want to live. These compromises help builders and architects determine trade-offs in new home and community design to help guide the design and market feasibility process. Far too often, builders and developers who continue to rely on industry rules of thumb continue to miss out on these profitable development opportunities.
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