Synopses & Reviews
From the Haitian-style "shotgun" houses of the 19th century to the lavish high-rises of the 21st century, a walk through the streets of America's neighborhoods that reveals the rich history — and future — of urban housing
The Philadelphia row house. The New York tenement. The Boston triple-decker. Every American city has its own iconic housing style, structures that have been home to generations of families and are symbols of identity and pride. Max Podemski, an urban planner for the city of Los Angeles and lifelong architecture buff, has spent his career in and around these buildings. Deftly combining his years of experience with extensive research, Podemski walks the reader through the history of our dwelling spaces — and offers a blueprint for how time-tested urban planning models can help us build the homes the United States so desperately needs.
In A Paradise of Small Houses, Podemski charts how these dwellings have evolved over the centuries according to the geography, climate, population, and culture of each city. He introduces the reader to styles like Chicago's prefabricated workers cottages and LA's car-friendly dingbats, illuminating the human stories behind each city's iconic housing type. Through it all, Podemski interrogates the American values that have equated home ownership with success and led to the US housing crisis, asking, "How can we look to the past to build the homes, neighborhoods, and cities of the future that our communities deserve?"
Review
"[Podemski's] argument is convincing. A thoughtful history of affordable housing that establishes the basis for reasoned discussion and well-informed policy."
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Through this beautifully written and illustrated rich history of everyday houses that form our communities and neighborhoods, Max Podemski shares an insightful account of American cities and their urban development that will greatly appeal to architects, urban designers, planners, historians, housing advocates, and urbanists interested in just cities."
Vinit Mukhija, author of Remaking the American Dream: The Informal and Formal Transformation of Single-Family Housing Cities
Review
"If you love visiting, exploring, and thinking about American cities as much as I do, A Paradise of Small Houses is an indispensable travel companion. With this book, Max Podemski has fashioned a fantastic new lens through which to view the history and politics of redlining, zoning, housing affordability, urban design, and so much more. But mainly, the book is just plain fun."
Ray Delahanty, creator of CityNerd
Synopsis
"An expansive history of North American housing design….intelligent analysis and deep research….It's a must-read for housing advocates."
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
About the Author
Max Podemski is an urban planner, a writer, and an illustrator who currently serves as a transportation planner for the city of Los Angeles. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and KCET. His work has been profiled in a range of media, including Curbed, KPCC public radio, and the Jewish Journal. He also runs an architectural print company called Polkela.