“Great Houses for Great Neighborhoods”/Pattern Book for Norfolk Neighborhoods

About 200 builders, developers, public officials, and architects attended a conference “Great Houses for Great Neighborhoods” cosponsored by the Seaside Institute and the Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority in September. Attendance, which was mostly local but also included a sizable minority from all over the country, was double the number expected. The conference took an in-depth look at housing types, designs, and markets that relate to both new and old urban neighborhoods. A day-long design session allowed participants to redesign conventional house plans for new urban neighborhoods. Also released at the conference was a Pattern Book for Norfolk Neighborhoods, commissioned by the City of Norfolk and created by Urban Design Associates of Pittsburgh. This first-of-its-kind document groups the city’s entire housing stock into typologies and styles which are examined in detail. Block and street patterns are also analyzed. The city pattern book is an unprecedented resource for planners and builders to improve the quality of new housing and fix problems with historic neighborhoods.