Housing and Community Development

In BY-RIGHT/BY-DESIGN, Liz Falletta of USC presents a qualitative analysis of significant Los Angeles multi-family housing design projects and their associated development types. A side-by-side graphic comparison of these works—common, basic types developed in large numbers over time by builders and landlord interests, versus an example of high design by a noted architect—tells a visual story of the complicated interactions between design, development and planning, highlighting how negotiations among these disciplines have shaped residential life in Los Angeles.

Three comparisons will be presented: the Mackey Apartments built in 1939 by Rudolph Schindler with a Four Flat, primarily developed during the teens and twenties, the National Apartments built in 1954 by Ray Kappe with a Dingbat, primarily developed during the fifties and sixties, and the Harold Way Apartments built in 2003 by Koning Eizenberg with a Podium Apartment, which began development in the eighties and is ongoing.

The study identifies a “typology of trade-offs” that categorizes the consequences of disciplinary approaches to important housing design decisions, including density, unit mix, unit aggregation, access, parking and relationships between indoor and outdoor space.

This presentation is a part of the ongoing Housing Knowledge Community research webinar series. View the complete series archive.