Andrés Duany, Seaside’s original town planner
In conjunction with the February Seaside Prize, a housing symposium led by prize recipients Todd Zimmerman and Laurie Volk was held in Seaside’s Assembly Hall. This symposium, titled “21st Century Housing for 21st Century Households,” attracted over 100 people who attended between one and four sessions that were offered during the weekend.
There were 12 presentations that dealt with questions posed by Zimmerman and Volk, such as, “What should we be building?” “What building types are missing from our builders’ repertoire?’ and “How can we make, re-make and sustain affordable neighborhoods?”
Zimmerman and Volk have spent the last 30 years using their proprietary target market methodology and tools to determine the market for housing in downtown and new mixed-use pedestrian-oriented traditional neighborhoods. They have conducted studies across the country in cities ranging in size from Petersburg, Va., to Detroit, Mich. All of the speakers at the symposium have worked with Zimmerman and Volk over the years and credit the team with changing the way real estate market trends should be analyzed.
Some of the speakers, who flew to Seaside from points all over the country, have worked in Seaside in the past, such as architects Walter Chatham and Alex Gorlin, both designed houses in the town; architect Dhiru Thadani, who has contributed work on Seaside’s civic spaces; and Seaside’s original town planner, Andrés Duany.
Alex Gorlin, architect of several townhouses in Ruskin Place, including Stairway to Heaven
Eleven of the Power Point presentations have been posted on the Seaside Institute website along with photos from the event (http://seasideinstitute.org/seaside-prize-2015/). Those presentations are listed below.
“Creating Great Neighborhoods”: Carson Looney
“21st Century Housing”: Alex Gorlin
“21st Century Housing”: Walter Chatham
“Housing Affordability”: Laurie Volk
“Center for Neighborhood Technology”: Jackie Grimshaw
“Focusing on the Basics of Life Will Save Us”: Shelley Poticha
“Attainable – Not Affordable –Housing”: Jan Brodie
“Planning, Housing Types and Affordability”: Ray Gindroz
“21st Century Housing”: Alex Gorlin
“Does Design Matter?”: Todd Zimmerman
“Lean Housing”: Andres Duany
Walter Chatham, architect of the famous Chatham House on East Ruskin Street