Features of Environmentally-Friendly Single Family Homes and Community Context
Approaching net-zero* electrical grid with renewable and some low-carbon sources of energy, e.g., solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, and carbon-capture.
Electrical cooking, heating and cooling systems.
Solar panels on homes in sunny climates
Well-insulated and weatherized homes with minimal air leakage
Places to gather, visit or shop within walking distance or short drive
Residential areas connected by public transit to employment hubs (if applicable)
All homes have charging stations for electric vehicles
Smaller lots in new developments of single-family homes (maximum 5,000 sq feet, compared to current lot average in US of 14,000 sq ft )*.
Mix of detached homes with their own yard, clustered homes with shared green space, and townhouses**.
Extensive sidewalks within and beyond residential community
Tree-lined streets and financial incentives to plant trees on property to increase shade
Drought-resistant gardens and trees in dry climates
Smart appliances (e.g., thermostats) to reduce energy usage
By way of illustration, here’s a detached home big enough for several family members but on a small lot. Although the front yard is teeny, the back yard is large enough for social and recreational activities.
Image: Jordan Ranch. House is 4 bedroom/three bath, 2102 sq ft.
And here are some cluster cottages with shared green space. Each home also has a small back yard.
Greenwood Avenue Cottages in Shoreline, WA: eight small homes on four standard lots. (Photo: Ross Chapin Architects)
Why this focus on dense developments of single-family homes instead of much denser apartment buildings? Because that’s what American families want, overwhelmingly. And if they don’t live in the type of home and community they want, many will eventually move to places with larger lots and fewer restrictions on fossil fuel use. Which translates to less land for wildlife and higher emissions.
But large yards are no longer de rigueur in this country. As documented in the first post in this series, a recent survey of over 7,000 Americans ages 18 to 54 found that over 90% of renters with plans for more children wanted to own homes - but the survey did not find find a preference for homes with bigger yards over smaller yards. Across every demographic subgroup, safety/low crime was by far the single most important neighborhood trait, especially for families with children or with plans to have more. Good schools ranked second for people with children, followed by walkability. Note that neighborhoods with large lots tend to be less walkable.
So there’s definitely a market for dense developments of single-family homes. Let’s build more.
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* According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average lot size for a new single-family home fell from 18,760 square feet in 1978 to a record low of 13,896 square feet in 2020.
** Townhouses are generally considered single-family residences, even though they are attached to other units. This is because townhouse owners typically own both the interior and exterior of their unit, as well as the land it sits on.