4 Tips for Impactful Community Design

Homebuyers are increasingly interested in housing that meets several of their ever-changing needs, from flex spaces to indoor-outdoor connections. Here are four ways the National Association of Home Builders suggests builders and developers address these demands in their communities. For an eye-catching community, strive to offer diverse housing options. This means different housing types, densities, prices, and elevations. One home builder opts for brightly colored front doors to grab a buyer’s attention and enhance its community’s streetscape. Another notes that zoning flexibility is key if market conditions shift. Continue reading for three additional tips.

Consider your indoor and outdoor connections. “In higher density neighborhoods, the relationship with indoor and outdoor space is critical,” Grady stated, whether through walkability, gathering spaces or parks.

Indoor and outdoor connections are important for the design of the home as well. Front porches are becoming increasingly popular in the wake of COVID-19 as not only a place to enjoy the outdoors, but also as “the new kind of public living area of your house,” noted Donald Ruthroff, principal at Dahlin Group Architecture Planning.

“It gives you the opportunity to meet those public people coming to your home without them coming into the home,” he added. “If it’s furnishable, you can create kind of that outdoor living room right at the front of your house.”

Design special spaces. “Think about how we live,” Grady noted. “That’s the way to create meaningful and memorable places — and it’s how we provide awesome amenities that residents can really enjoy.”