Urban Design Expert Leads Panel on Tiny House, Alternative Housing Movements

Photo: Tomas Quinones via Creative Commons

The “tiny house” movement, as well as eco-villages, co-housing, and pocket neighborhoods, are some of the responses to urban growth.

Nan Ellin

People living in these alternative houses are returning to a simpler way of life. These all incorporate shared amenities and social spaces, encouraging human interaction in order to nourish a deep sense of community. There’s less “stuff” to stress about, a smaller footprint, and fewer wasted resources.

The next Dallas Architecture Forum event is a panel discussion with residents, architects, and developers of such projects. They will explore their successes as well as opportunities for the future in an evening titled Village Redux: Co-Housing and Pocket Neighborhoods.

Photo: futureatlas.com via Creative Commons

The moderator of the panel is Nan Ellin, founding dean of the new College at University of Texas at Arlington uniting the School of Architecture with the School of Urban and Public Affairs: the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs.

Ellin holds a PhD in urban design from Columbia University and her research and practice in urban revitalization, placemaking, community-building, and university-neighborhood partnerships have been contributing to enhance life quality through improving the built and natural environments.

“Moderator Nan Ellin will be joined by panelists who are actively engaged as home-owners, architects, and developers to create eco-friendly homes that offer a sense of community,” said Forum Executive Director Nate Eudaly. “The result will be an engaging and thought-provoking discussion for our attendees.”

The event will be at The Dallas Center for Architecture, 1909 Woodall Rogers Frwy., Ste. 100. There is and informal reception at 6:15 p.m., with the main event at 6:30 p.m. No reservations are needed and the event is free.

For more information on the Dallas Architecture Forum, visit dallasarchitectureforum.org. For questions about the Forum, call 214-764-2406.