Volume 26.2 Rural Housing (2001)

Editors: Elizabeth Federico, Kenneth Ho, Amanda Huron, and Conaway B. Haskins III

A digital version of this issue is available here.

Rural Housing: Reflecting the Spirit of a Culture

Dennis Ruth

The author discusses the Auburn University rural studio program, a program that seeks to help poverty-stricken Alabama rural communities tackle housing challenges. Each semester, fifteen to twenty AU architecture students move to hale County and help families design and construct houses. Examples of student housing projects are presented.

Just What is Sprawl, Anyway?

George Hess et. al.

Urban sprawl is a hot-button issue in the U.S. Though the term is widely used to describe the distaste for contemporary American suburban and urban development, a select few group of researchers, academics, and practitioners have led the response to the argument against sprawl. This paper seeks to characterize sprawl from the perspective of landscape architecture while focusing on quantitative measurements and definitions of sprawl. It examines the issue of the evolution of urban form through time, and offers options for addressing the debates over the negative or positive ramifications of sprawl.

Planning to Protect Water and Natural Areas

Erica Shingara

Worldwide, there is a growing recognition for the need to balance development with watershed protection and water basin management. Any sustainable effort must recognize the interdependence of land use, spatial development, natural areas, and water resources. The Chesapeake Bay program provides an example of comprehensive, integrated, and innovative water basin management. Although not flawless, it can serve as a model for the development of other regional watershed protection and management programs in the United States and around the world.