Re-imagining Suburban Living in Residual Urban Space

The attraction of the suburban lifestyle for many, is the comforting uniformity and lack of density, the desire to own your own little patch of land to use however you please. However, the lack of diversity this lifestyle offers is also a key reason as to why certain demographics are choosing to relocate back to urban centres. A significant number of young adults are rethinking where they want to live, work and play, and they are choosing the city. They are revitalising entire neighbourhoods, making urban living fun and safe for all ages. In choosing the city, they have begun to dream something different to the lifestyle defined as the traditional “Suburban Dream” (Breen & Rigby, 2004).   As the population continues to increase, available land for development decreases, resulting in suburban sprawl. The consequences of this pattern of suburban sprawl include social issues such as a lack of human contact and a declining sense of community. As people are having to spend longer travelling to and from work in the city, they therefore tend to stay in their homes once they return at the end of a long day. Other key consequences include increased traffic congestion and the resultant environmental problems such as increased petrol consumption, reduced air quality and farmland destruction (Breen & Rigby, 2004). In contrast, the urban neighbourhood has a sense of community about it, many features are within walking distance and the footpaths and walkways promote a friendly, social environment, which may be lacking or hard to access in the sprawling suburbs.   This research portfolio aims to develop and present an alternative approach to living in inner city New Zealand. A new strategy that will bridge the gap between the typology of the spacious suburban home and over developed, inner city apartment blocks by adapting unused or underutilised sites already existing within the urban fabric. Often people are reluctant to downsize from the commodious suburban homes that they have grown accustomed to. Therefore, this proposed housing must take the fundamentals of suburban housing and condense it into a compact model suitable for the urban environment while also meeting the needs and expectations of the intended occupants.   The objective is to create compact homes that will beautify and give new purpose to unused spaces in the urban environment. As a way of reducing urban sprawl by adapting vacant spaces which already exist within the urban fabric. Learning from, and developing upon successful infill strategies already employed throughout the world dealing with the issue of underutilised urban space. These homes should not detract, but rather add to the appearance of the present streetscape for current residents. Repurposing vacant sites and spaces into condensed, compact, comfortable housing solutions to encourage those looking to relocate from suburban to urban therefore reducing the suburban sprawl.