Prototype cottage built in Southlands
A cottage has been built in the Southlands, an "agrarian urbanism" development on a 538-acre tract near Vancouver, British Columbia. The unit is a prototype for pocket neighborhoods — or "cottage courtyards" — clusters of homes gathered around a landscaped common area, designed by Cotter Architects. The 1,190 square foot cottage is geared towards more affordable housing "that meets the shrinking family household size and lifestyle needs of both starter families and aging empty-nesters," according to Smallworks Studios, the builder. "Fruit trees and a vegetable garden are featured in the common areas in the cottage courtyard, which links with the Southlands' theme of local food and agriculture, connecting the residential community to the integrated small farms that will occupy much of the Southlands preserved farmland." Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co did a plan in 2008 that developed an agrarian urbanism vision for the site.
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