Housing for Humans: A Book to Imagine, Create and Design a New Housing Model in America

by Ileana Schinder

Where are all the homes?

The affordable housing crisis today can be solved through innovative residential and urban design. Family models have evolved, society has reframed the role of cities, and ongoing urban realities demand opportunities to create housing for all, from first-time homeowners to retirees.

This book navigates the design process of new housing, like additional dwelling units, and explores ideas that can be implemented from the suburbs to cities. Through the history of urban design, zoning regulation, and with an emphasis on the human side of housing, Ileana Schinder, with her architecture background, highlights the role that the home plays in society today.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 2021

Reviews

[Meghen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had the best time at book club yesterday. We read “Housing for Humans,” by Ileana Schinder. Ileana even joined our book club via Zoom to give us more insight into her book and the topic of the affordable housing crisis in this country.

A special thanks to Ileana for sending me a box of her books and for being so gracious with her time. This was definitely one of our most fun book club meetings!

As an architect, Ileana brings a unique perspective to the issues of affordable housing and the modification of current dwellings to accommodate changing family needs or to provide a source of additional income. Her book, “Housing for Humans,” explores the history of housing in this country and provides numerous examples of what we can do to improve housing for everyone. With its quick, conversational tone, Ileana makes this topic approachable. I think this book is a must read. Our club thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Sinclair Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fair way to get started learning about the history and future of housing in the USA. That being said, it lacks proper citations and is generally repetitive with its message.

Main takeaways:
- housing in the USA is shaped by historic segregation and zoning codes
- we can face the housing crisis if we embrace fluidity of each home, such as investing in ADUs

[DW Rowlands · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may be a useful manifesto for people not familiar with the problems with housing in America, but I didn't feel like I really learned anything from it, and I was a bit disappointed by the lack of citations or an index.