Raleigh House

Description

Short listed Professional entry to Building Trust international HOME competition:

Our proposal is to establish a new zone within the UDO - alley residential, or RA-50. This new zone would be allowed in any block that is bisected by an existing or potential alleyway and where lots backing up to the alleyways have a surplus of land to shave away and form new, smaller lots that could front the alleyway. At a minimum of only 800 SF, the new alleyway parcels would be able to accommodate small dwellings and gardens for one or two people that would be integral to a new network of pedestrian alleyways that would complement the existing street grid in down town.

These new parcels would yield a multiple bottom line. Current landowners could generate income off their excess land by either selling an RA-50 parcel or building a dwelling on one leasing it. Many lots are large enough to yield two or three such parcels. The new parcels would provide a new affordable housing option in close proximity to the university, public infrastructure, transportation hubs, and popular social venues. The city would benefit from new utility service units evenly dispersed within an existing down town infrastructure, generating new income with minimal investment in new infrastructure. Finally, the environmental benefits of a more generous pedestrian environment, a more diverse and dense population, and a more concentrated population reliant on alternative transportation systems would positively alter the social landscape of down town Raleigh.