Owners Provided with Numerous Styling Options

Custom urban home plans are highly desired by those that want to live in a city and still have a say in how the home is constructed. There are many different features that can in incorporated into the home for a unique look. Urban architecture generally follows some of the same characteristics that loft homes use. High ceilings with many windows are common elements designers utilize.

Unlike other housing options, urban home designs won’t be limited to certain design features because of community restrictions or landlord rules. You will own every part of the house, which gives you countless options when it comes to developing both the interior and exterior design. Urban housing development is very functional so that every area of space is efficiently used. Open floor plans with multi-level living space creates spacious rooms that are well lit with natural sunlight.

Green living can easily be incorporated into urban homes. In fact, people that choose to live in the city are already playing a huge role by not taking away from natural land. Custom urban home architects can use recycled and non-toxic materials to give you and your family safer breathing air. Taking advantage of the convenient public transportation will save money on gas and maintenance of your car, while additionally reducing the amount of toxic fumes in the air.

Inner City Living Appeals to Professionals of Any Age

With the cost of living on the rise, many people don’t want to spend the gas it takes to drive to and from their job in the city. Luckily, urban houses provide families with a chic and resourceful residence that allows them to enjoy being close to popular city attractions, such as upscale bars, restaurants, or shopping centers. Money can be spent on other things rather than expensive gas, while still owning a home that is full of sophisticated style. For those that want to own a house but can’t imagine moving out of your favorite city, an urban house can be the perfect solution.

With so many advantages, it’s no wonder why people are moving back to the city and working with professional architects to design a home with urban style. They are extremely functional by using the interior space as efficiently as possible. They can follow numerous green building techniques that help preserve the planet’s resources while creating a healthier environment for adults and children. Urban homes are located in areas that are close to a wide range of eateries and stores that aren’t found outside the city. Choosing an area where you can live, work, and play can fascinate people in any stage of their life, which is why urban housing has become so trendy.

If you want a traditional small-town feel without moving to the middle of nowhere, consider a place like Promenade in the city of Hercules, Calif.

Built near the waterfront of the San Francisco Bay and about 20 miles northeast of San Francisco, the houses have a historical look with Victorian, Craftsman or Italianate design. All have front porches to encourage neighborliness, are built close together and garages are, in many cases, located in the back of the houses or accessible by alleyways. Streets are narrow to slow down traffic.
“In contrast to many suburban towns, we know our neighbors. And we feel it’s a very safe place for children,” says Robert Reber, a city planner for Hercules who lives in Promenade with his wife and 4-year-old.
The New Urbanism Movement
Promenade is an example of a type of city planning called the new urbanism, which seeks to build or restore suburban towns to resemble small towns of the late 19th and early 20th century. A reaction against the suburban sprawl common today, new urbanist towns are planned communities near large urban centers. They have historical architecture, front porches and picket fences and are reminiscent of a time long gone. Built to encourage walking and biking rather than driving, they often have parks or a town plaza in the center of town and restaurants and small businesses within easy walking distance.
“New urbanist towns are gaining in popularity,” says David Kooris, director of the Connecticut office of the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit that promotes improved community design in the New York metropolitan area. “The philosophy goes back to the historical patterns of development of the 1920s and 1930s — before the automobile dominated — and it was possible to walk and bike to see your neighbors and do your daily chores.”
When Promenade was completed in 2000, homebuyers snatched up the available 217 houses. In fact, all the houses in the community sold within 18 months for prices ranging from the low 400s to the mid-600s. While the pace of buying for two similar neighborhoods in Hercules has slowed a bit, the houses still have an appeal for homebuyers who want to live within commuting distance of San Francisco but also appreciate the advantages of a small town.
How It Began
The first new urbanist development in the United States was founded in 1979 by builder/developer Robert Davis on 80 acres in the planned community of Seaside, Fla., a town on the Florida Panhandle between Fort Walton Beach and Panama City. Many of the houses in Seaside are built in a bungalow style with wraparound porches and picket fences. The town has a central square surrounded by a post office, an amphitheater that hosts everything from yoga classes to theater performances and small businesses such as restaurants, ice cream shops and retail clothing shops.
“There is a certain character to houses in Seaside. But the idea of Seaside is more than cute houses; it’s also a pleasurable place to inhabit, where any resident can find things happening within a quarter-mile radius of their home,” says town architect Leo Casas, who notes that the commute from his Seaside home to his office is “150 yards with dog in tow.”
A Growing Trend
New urbanist towns are more common in the West and Midwest, where land is more plentiful, but there are examples of small towns on the East Coast that have rebuilt themselves based on new urbanist values. In towns such as Connecticut’s New Canaan, East Rutherford, N.J., and Newton, Mass., city planners have tried to revitalize their historic downtowns to provide a sense of community and more walkable neighborhoods, Korris says.
Seaside and Hercules are planning further development. In Hercules, a network of small neighborhoods interconnected by nature paths, parks and a transit center is in the works. Seaside’s plan calls for slowly increasing the size of the town in a series of buildouts. But the character of the place won’t be sacrificed, Casas said. “We’ll continue growing, but at a slow pace. Like many small towns, nothing happens too quickly here,” he said.

Urban living

Sea views, wide-open spaces spread over 8,000 sq. ft, a private lift connecting first and second floors: life in the city doesn’t get much better than this

The wall, in a sense, sets the design dictum that has been followed throughout the house—visual connectivity.The double-height (22ft.) central hall has two wings, one on each side. There are no doors between the family entertainment space, the dining and breakfast corner and the kitchen. Sliding glass doors separate the balcony from this central space. Only the grandparents’ room on the ground floor and the guest bedroom have have doors

Bedrooms for the children are luxurious too, and there is also a pantry area for that impromptu midnight party.

Even though the first level functions as a separate entity, the architects have ensured that it isn’t completely cut off from the main house. Both the master suite and the children’s suite look into the central hall. This ensures both visual connectivity and cross ventilation.