VANCOUVER, BC — There’s an alley renaissance going on around the world. Vancouver, British Columbia, the city that has served as a North American icon for creating liveable inner cities—is having its own “laneway” renaissance (as alleys are known here). (Photo by Lanefab, courtesy of Sightline Daily)
Editor’s Note: Excerpt from urban planner Kamala Rao’s story, courtesy of Sightline Daily.
VANCOUVER, BC — There’s an alley renaissance going on around the world. It was born of a renewed love for urbanity that came along with the droves of young, artistic types shunning the ‘burbs and repopulating North America’s inner cities. They brought with them a desire to turn what have traditionally been neglected and ugly inner-city dumping grounds into vibrant, art-adorned, pedestrian-friendly public spaces.
[caption id="attachment_9693" align="aligncenter" width="425" caption="Photo by Lanefab. Courtesy of Sightline Daily."]
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Vancouver, British Columbia, the city that has served as a North American icon for creating liveable inner cities—is having its own “laneway” renaissance (as alleys are known here). However, in Vancouver, the revival was spawned by sky-high real estate prices, a lack of affordable housing, and an ingenious plan to create ‘hidden density’ in the city’s most desirable single-family neighborhoods. Whereas some might see these underutilized swaths of pavement as merely needing a little beautification, the City saw it as an opportunity to provide badly-needed rental units.
Before I get in to all the reasons why I love this new housing concept, first a bit of an explanation. Laneway homes are basically miniature versions of single-family homes—in the range of 500 to 1,000 square feet—that are built in what has traditionally been the garage location of a single-family lot: in the backyard facing the lane. They can’t be sub-divided or sold separately from the main house on the lot. They can only be used for additional family space or rental income. Their introduction into the frenetic Vancouver real estate scene was part of a larger “Eco-Density Initiative” invented by former mayor Sam Sullivan and championed by current mayor, Gregor Robertson. The intention is to “help reduce [the city’s] carbon footprint, expand housing choices, and ensure Vancouver remains one of the most liveable cities in the world.”
Here are four reasons I love them—and hope to see other cities throughout the world adopt them as a housing option: //daily.sightline.org/2011/09/08/home-home-on-the-lane/
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