The Alley Flat Initiative which encourages the development of small affordable dwellings along under

The Alley Flat Initiative, which encourages the development of small, affordable dwellings along under-used alleys in Austin, Texas, has celebrated the construction of its second house — a 600 sq. ft. unit featuring a “rain screen” clad in terra cotta tiles. Owned by Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corp. and built by Saldana Homes with help from University of Texas students, the one-story house is designed to be about 40 percent more energy-efficient per square foot than a conventionally built house. The pace of the Initiative (see Oct. 2008 New Urban News) is picking up. Four more houses, each of which will sit at the rear of a lot that contains a principal residence, are going out for bidding in January, with construction expected to begin in March. The four properties getting those flats are owned by the Guadalupe organization. Another three houses, one of them a duplex, will soon follow. One of those is a project of a new community development organization, while the others are being undertaken by private owners.