History of Live-Work Developments
With the onset of the industrial revolution and concomitant advances in transportation technology, commuting to work over some distance became the rule rather than the exception. Technology and the intense urbanization gave rise to movement for social improvement and the introduction to zoning. The primary mode of land use regulation, which continues to the present day as the mainstay of modernist city planning: today mixed-use development is the exception rather than the rule and primarily a remnant to earlier times. Commuting is hell – on our time, our money, the environment and our childcare. The introduction of the Internet, fax machines and teleconferencing make travel to face-to-face meetings less necessary. Affordability of a single home and workplace, less transportation money and the elimination of childcare are all advantages. Artists have done this for years, using their homes as working space and living, mainly due to the fact they get the urge to produce at various times of the day. Today Americans aspire to telecommute, to run a small business at home, or to simply enjoy the flexibility, light and space afforded by urban loft living.
Posted in Historical and tagged architecture, automobile, commuting, development, economy, environment, history, live-work, review, suburbs, urban by Studio Render with 21 comments.
