The national housing shortage is impacting everyone. Rent and home prices remain on the rise, causing people to look for new places to live within their monthly budgets. City developers have to accelerate their projects to keep up with the affordable housing demand, but new units and properties won’t satisfy people if those homes aren’t visually appealing.
Builders are bringing arts and culture into city developments with these modern strategies so every home reflects its city’s architecture and design.
Find a Community Representative
Real estate developers and landlords are always looking for timely data that guides their decision-making process. Anyone can find studies or surveys that depict what perks people want in their living spaces, like extra room or updated appliances. City developers will benefit more by bringing that data to a community representative.
Someone from the location in mind can speak for themselves and their neighbors’ unique needs. A representative from Chicago may pass on the idea of an outdoor pool at a new apartment complex because it would have limited use. Instead, they could voice a shared preference for heated floor tiles in bathrooms or eco-friendly heating units.
Efforts to bring arts and culture into city developments will only be successful if they’re meaningful. Representatives will narrow down construction and design options into lists of features locals want. It saves everyone time by skipping less preferred amenities and directs funding toward what people want in their future homes.
Connect With Local Artists
People will love a new city development more if a local artist provides input on the creation. They could draw building design elements from surrounding properties or improve interior features with a residential touch. The entrance to a condo building could include a painted city mural or colors shared by the city’s sports teams.
Artists can also have a say in exterior locations. They could bring new life to landscaping projects by merging artistic gardens with sidewalks to connect each property with an eye-catching design that doesn’t take away from the area’s infrastructure. A sculpted fountain or dedicated rest area by a park are also ways to add a local touch to new developments and make it a beautiful home for residents.
Create More Community Spaces
Bringing arts and culture into city developments is easier when blueprints include more community spaces. People should feel free to meet in their apartment building or have a public lounge area for holiday parties or clubs.
It isn’t easy to connect with other people when distance or floors separate everyone. Renters and homeowners will get much more satisfaction from their new living arrangements if they can socialize. Kids might meet for an after-school music club or adults could schedule monthly potlucks. Culture thrives when people can share what they love, which is much easier to do in community spaces constructed where they live.
Integrate the Local Environment
Looking for local construction and design suppliers is a win for developers and future residents. Developers won’t pay as much for shipping because the supplies come from down the road. Residents will likely also prefer the environmentally friendly construction efforts because 77% of people want to go green. However, they don’t often get a choice in the materials that create their homes.
High-quality supplies are available locally with a bit of research. Construction teams and designers should consider what their city naturally creates. A project by a rock quarry might utilize its granite for countertops. Reclaimed wood from nearby demolition sites or abandoned properties can become recycled house framing or cabinetry.
Designers can also find inspiration in the surrounding area without necessarily going green.
They might match a building or home’s design with surrounding properties. Similar roofing tiles, exterior paint or window shapes will make communities like low-income housing avoid sticking out with less thoughtful designs.
Bring Arts and Culture Into City Developments
The meaning of someone’s home has become much more important in the past few years. People need private spaces that look and feel welcoming, but traditional construction timelines and strategies don’t always account for that.
Bringing arts and culture into city developments is a necessity. Techniques like these will make projects faster and easier for development teams while creating properties that feel like home for every resident.
Author
Evelyn Long is the editor-in-chief of Renovated. Her work focuses on interior and architectural design and has been published by Build Magazine, the National Association of REALTORS and other online publications.