FLEX FILL
CONTENTS 2
CALLOUT DIAGRAM
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
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PRECEDENTS
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ANTI-DISPLACEMENT
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TECHNIQUE
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SITE PLAN
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POLICIES
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Housing in Central City South features additions and secondary dwellings on a single parcel.
Many homes have front porches and yards that serve as an extension of the indoor living space.
EXISTINGCONDITIONS Typical alley conditions in Central City South.
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Small commercial buildings shield a quiet residential neighborhood from a busy street in Portland, Oregon.
Starter Homes*, a project by Office JT, designs custom homes for non-conforming lots to create targeted infill while staying connected to the existing urban fabric.
PRECEDENTS A cluster of historic shotgun houses in Eastlake, Phoenix.
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anti-cultural-displacement: IDENTITY Flex-fill housing is built at the household level, allowing property owners or the renters themselves to build out structures as they see fit. They are spaces created by the community. Lowering the barrier to entry for small businesses encourages local identity.
anti-economic-displacement: OPPORTUNITY Infill housing rental prices are hyperflexible according to demand, and the income stays in the community, creating resilient property owners. The communal yet private environment offer opportunities for small businesses to begin and thrive with low rents and overhead.
anti-physical-displacement: HOUSING Infill housing that’s flexible to fit housing needs moving forward can accomModate different household structures, from a single individual to a growing, multi-generational family.
ANTI-DISPLACEMENT Alley development and parcel reconfiguration create opportunities for housing to fill in between existing homes, creating wealth for current residents and increasing density in a community-friendly way. Central City South as a neighborhood can benefit from more people; nearly 80% of households do not own a car, so a denser urban fabric means easier, quicker and cheaper access to jobs, services and recreation. Flex/fill building techniques serves several needs. The structures created are endlessly flexible to provide for growing families, changing demographics, and conversion of space between residential and commercial. Structures can span parcels and expand horizontally and vertically. Simple construction techniques help streamline permitting and lower costs. Flex/fill aspires to create a social, communal neighborhood while simultaneously providing comfortable, private space for families and individuals. The design privileges the social front yard space with shotgun-style design, while private courtyards and backyards provide light and outdoor interaction.
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SIMPLE+CHEAP CONVERSIONS AND ADDITIONS
Flex/fill buildings provide affordable housing for new residents, existing renters and “right of return� residents. The building strategy consists of permanent structural columns on a grid, with partition or exterior walls filled in between them. The pattern can snake between existing home, fill in large backyards and populate small or irregular vacant lots. The simple constructions makes horizontal and vertical expansion easy, allowing for multiple stories, lofts and inhabitable rooftop azoteas.
EASYADDITIONS
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two families decide to build secondary units in their backyards
another unit is added; columns are filled in with sound-dampening fill
another unit is added
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fill is removed to combine two small units into a larger unit as need changes
two small units split a unit between the two of them
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Mingling small shops and businesses with residential is a plus for both. Residents have easier access to services, while business owners can live next to their storefronts. Commrecial rent is lowered and a wider variety of services and retail is made available to the neighborhood at a small scale.
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EXISTINGSITE
New homes and businesses populate vacant lots and extra backyard space. A new alley is formed between 1st and 2nd Avenues.
PROPOSEDSITE
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POLICIES open alleys Instead of closing alleys due to trash accumulation and undesirable activity, the city should encourage the activation of alleys to take advantage of unused land, encourage appropriately-scaled density, enable income-producing rentals, add housing stock and create pedestrian-friendly streets.
ADU PERMITTING Backyard rental units create simple, dependable income potential and create pathways for property ownership for low-income popoulations. Higher density and human-scale buildings encourages walkability. Permitting for new structures should be streamlined and made affordable and accessible for all residents.
PARCEL RECONFIGURATION Wide streets built to favor cars and large public right-of-way setbacks can be shrunk while giving land back to homewoners as incentives to densify their neighborhoods themselves, on their own terms, while retaining the comfort of a low-scale residential neighborhood.
HOME-BASED BUSINESSES Current zoning often discourages and outlaws operating a business from a residential property. Many residential leases prohibit commercial activity. The city should encourage entrepreneurship and small business development and lower the barrier to entry, especially for low-income and historically disadvantaged populations. Finding space to create a business is a crucial barrier to entry. Additionally, homebased services and retail create a more walkable city.
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WILDFLOWERS THRIVE IN A GRANT PARK ALLEY & BACKYARD