Baltimore's Lovely Cookie-Cutter Rowhouses
Baltimore's Lovely Cookie-Cutter RowhousesSome mass-produced architecture ages well, and sets an exampleI recently came across this interesting page on the historic preservation section of Baltimore’s official website, on a housing development known as Ednor Gardens:
Here’s the Wikipedia page for the neighborhood. And here are a couple of Google Maps screenshots of the neighborhood today. These are pretty basic, simple, sturdy houses. Structures like this are the workhorses of working- and middle-class housing in many Mid-Atlantic cities. They’re not entirely without style or ornamentation, however. “Ednor Gardens is distinguished by its Tudor, Norman, and, later, Colonial style rowhouses that reflect national changes in residential architectural tastes between the mid 1920s into the late 1930s,” the official webpage reads. One interesting thing here is that while this is a pretty large area developed by a single firm, it’s not really a mass-scale developer-managed project. Larger than a subdivision, but more fine-grained than a block-large megaproject, this kind of thing allowed developers to bring their economies of scale to the construction phase, make their money, and then basically disappear. It’s very cookie-cutter, yet it was evidently built pretty well. Here’s a map of Ednor Gardens, from the official page: There’s a slogan among some leftie housing advocates to the effect of “decommodify housing.” My view, along with many who consider themselves “YIMBYs” (for “Yes In My Backyard”) is that housing isn’t commodified enough, which is to say we should be subjecting housing markets to demand signals, allow developers to build for pent-up demand, and not overthink, say, the uniqueness of architecture or of every single house. As long as the quality is acceptable, cookie-cutter is okay. More supply is good. (Oil is a commodity; oranges are a commodity. Commodities are cheap and plentiful!) This is not pro-developer per se, but rather pro-market. And it isn’t to say we should rely solely on the market. My view is that we’ve been under-relying on the market for way too long here. Think of how hard it would be to build a housing development this size in an existing city or town today. Fix that first. Related Reading: Apartments, Ownership, and Responsibility Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekend subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive of nearly 200 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You’re on the free list for The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, become a paying subscriber. |
Older messages
The Spider Skeleton
Thursday, October 7, 2021
Is consumer junk clogging up global shipping?
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #26
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
An illustrated series on the unexpected lives of commercial buildings
We're Still Making Car Cassette Players
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
They just aren't in cars these days
What Kind of House Is This?
Monday, October 4, 2021
Take a look at these tiny midcentury houses in a working-class neighborhood of Cambridge, Maryland. Cambridge, in the Eastern Shore region, is a former powerhouse for the canning industry (seafood, but
New and Old #25
Friday, October 1, 2021
Friday roundup and commentary
You Might Also Like
The Weekly Wrap #159
Sunday, April 28, 2024
04.28.2024 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Weekend: Zuck’s New Look ⛓
Sunday, April 28, 2024
But first: an actually good grad gift — Check out what we Skimm'd for you today Subscribe Read in browser April 28, 2024 Daily Skimm Header Image Together with apple gift card But first: an
A Reading List for National Poetry Month 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Our partners, sponsors, and advertisers present some of their titles to help celebrate National Poetry Month. View this email in your browser A Reading List for National Poetry Month 2024 Our 2024
Week Ahead Tarot Reading from 4/29 to 5/6 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
You will want to stay on task this week. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Inside the chaos response to Meghan Markle’s jampire
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Let her eat cake, and sell jam, and towels, and a cooking show, and…
6-Second Sunday: On rituals, doctor damage, and hard beds
Sunday, April 28, 2024
6 Ideas. 6 Second Skim. 6 Minute Read. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
RI#221 - What AI can do today/Multilingue/Computer maintenance
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Hello people ! I'm Alex, the author of the Rabbit Ideas Newsletter. Every week I find useful resources online and share them with you. Let's check this week's links! 🌐 Websites * What AI
"Parable" by Nickole Brown
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Let us not with one stone kill one bird, Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. In honor of National Poetry Month, please consider making a gift to help cover the costs of this
“CNN” (SHORT STORY)
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Another day another presentation for creative director Philip Morris. Philip is holed up in a luxury hotel suite, sweating the details for a major strategy presentation to the new chairman and chief
The Gorgeous Dress Trend Taking Over For Spring
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Throw on and go.