Dwell November/December 2021

What makes some places more “livable” than others? The question has a new importance as many Americans, unmoored from the office, decamp for Phoenix, Boulder, or other spots that frequently rank near the top on lists of U.S. cities with the highest quality of life. Our essay “The Ups and Downs of Livability Rankings” (p. 42) and the section that follows examine some of the most common metrics for livability and unpack the values, ideologies, and implicit judgments baked into them. Along the way, we talk with a diverse group in five Los Angeles households who recently switched neighborhoods about the real-life factors that swayed their choices (p. 46), a New Orleans designer and activist about how to prevent gentrification as neighborhoods improve (p. 56), and people whose once high-scoring regions…

Comments [Re: “Studio Visit: Patrick Tighe,” July/August] One of the accusations regarding the misuse of money designated for low-cost housing is that the majority of the funds are eaten up by contractors’ fees. I read a report that said there is so much money to be made on the design and construction end, there is no incentive to work quickly or in a cost-conscious way. Can the author or architect speak to this? SHERRY WHITSETT, VIA DWELL.COM ARCHITECT PATRICK TIGHE RESPONDS: Architects’ fees for affordable housing are in keeping with industry standards, and I can assure you that architects are not getting rich this way. As far as contractors go, yes, some do take advantage. The architect’s job is to hold the contractor accountable and to keep the project on schedule. It’s also…

It’s peaceful and surrounded by nature. @oil.studio.skin North End, Boise, Idaho Walkability. @wenyiwangg Lincoln Park, Chicago Access to the coast. @mcdhaley East Boston, Boston The quiet. @claudz510 Bernardston, Massachusetts It isn’t gentrified by a bunch of midcentury-modern rebuilds. @ilyagram North Beach, San Francisco The quietness and closeness of the park. @gracynraehome Buckhead, Atlanta Sense of community. @ricptel El Cerritos, San Diego Tree-lined streets. @_juliet_o_ German Village, Columbus, Ohio Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. @bjpatch Pioneer Square, Seattle The mountain views. @ancient.now Highland Lakes, Divide, Colorado I love hearing the tamale lady call out at night: “Tamaleeeeeees!” @aubreywould Grant Hill, San Diego Wildflower gardens instead of lawns. @monica_ fitzedwards Loomiller Park, Longmont, Colorado The woods and trails around my house. They are my home. @onica_mae Pound Ridge, New York All the elderly people. @schnitzelvon schwein Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Coastal redwoods in the park by our house. Local restaurants. @moon_dogggy Woodlawn, Portland, Oregon It’s trendy and it feels like I live in a villa. @anett_rud Southend, Charlotte, North Carolina Major transit hub access and lots of parks. @williamthecoffee drinker Arista, Broomfield, Colorado Nosey neighbors. @placescreated East Raleigh, Raleigh,…

There are two types of people in this world: those who see a listing for a decaying 1,400-square-foot home built in 1954 and grimace, and those who make a viewing appointment. “We were looking for a new place and I thought, This one looks weird and ugly—let’s go see it,” says artist Adelaide Blair, who, along with her software developer husband, Darin McAdams, renovated a Seattle home built by the late architect Robert Reichert, known for his expressive modernism, as a live/work space for himself and his mother, Tillie. A Seattle couple’s playful‚ shed-roofed home honors the eccentric vision of its original architect. The couple worked with architect Stefan Hampden, a principal at Cast Architecture, to restore the historic, shed-roofed residence, using Reichert’s exuberant, avant-garde sensibilities as their guide. It was no…

Walking into Lichen’s East Williamsburg storefront feels like dropping by a stylish friend’s house: Music is playing, people are chatting on sofas, and there are beautifully crafted objects—lamps, vases, handloomed textiles—placed on shelves and tables in a way that feels simultaneously intentional and relaxed. Interspersed with recognizable designs by Eames, Aalto, Rietveld, and Knoll are the self-assured works of young local and international makers on the rise. Ed Be and Jared Blake, the friends behind Lichen, are ambitious about the store’s mission, part of which is to be an incubator for fresh talent. In addition to collaborating with established brands, the founders champion emerging New York designers, some of whom they met as repeat customers. The two also encourage prospective sales by allowing customers to rent pieces from the shop so…