Quote:
Originally Posted by nbrindley
It's an interesting development, in that it is quite different from the norm in Phoenix. While having the garages in the rear make the houses more approachable and less auto-centric, it violates one of the main tenets of New Urbanism. Having to run the driveways between houses actually decreases the density compared to what is typically built in Phoenix. My in-laws live in far-north Phoenix (I-17 & Carefree Highway) and even that far out, the houses are much closer together (and fill a much larger percentage of the property) then what is shown here. Now, in other cities, this might represent an increased density compared to typical suburban development; in Phoenix it is actually reducing the density.
As for the faux-historic styles, the fact of the matter is that people typically crave the familiar. Evolutions of existing styles satisfy the desire for both novelty and familiarity. Only a relatively small percentage of people are going to go for truly new designs. It's a shame, I'd like to see more exciting and more radical varieties of styles, but we are stuck with the glacial pace of evolution because that is what the market wants.
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Even back in the 1920s and 1930s people across the USA were building various revival styles etc IE: Cape Cods, Tudor style, Colonial Revivals etc
nothing new, but I do agree with you in that this is what the market dictates and not many desire the truly NEW designs you speak of . . . probably that most can not afford it either!