I& #39;ve been following the criticism of the @IndyMonthly porch party story and there& #39;s a central architectural theory talking point that was missed: porch placement design.

Most homes built before the 1940s have front porches... here are a few local examples:
You& #39;ve seen lots of examples: the little 1860s one-story vernacular wood-sided cottage; the grand 1890s two-story brick Italianate; the wide & low 1930s bungalow.
(Yes, we can think of some without, but historic homes have had more time to be messed with, so just go with me...)
Many factors: Redlining, the GI bill, suburbanization & white flight, contribute to new residential building patterns. Homes and lots get bigger, density goes down. but also, home layouts are changing. There& #39;s new amenities for a kitchen; number of bathrooms is increasing; and...
God, all those closets. One thing you& #39;ll notice if you look at hundreds of historic house plans (lord knows I did for my thesis) is that a front porch footprint tends to decrease significantly or entirely be eliminated in preference of a back deck/patio. Look at these examples:
The coveted backyard - it& #39;s an amenity because these suburban lots are big enough to have them. Architects were thinking, "why not orient the outdoor space to the area where there& #39;s PRIVATE green space?" Private backyard space is still a consideration for residential design today
Where does that leave the front porch? There& #39;s a socio-econ. design aspect that wasn& #39;t stated & what the critics are getting at. The front porch wasn& #39;t reinvented - it& #39;s always been there for those living in pre-1940s housing. The difference is WHO is living in pre-1940s housing.
This is where the uncomfortable convo about gentrification & displacement fits in. Front porches are an element of urban housing - you really get to know your neighbors. We tend to have more dense, walkable n& #39;hoods, which contributes to the social aspect of enjoying your porch.
Gentrification & displacement are hard truths with DT n& #39;hoods w/ desired housing stock that continue to be rehabbed or in many cases, torn down for new, large, expensive replacements. You can& #39;t turn your back on this issue when you& #39;re forced to look at it from your front porch!
TL;DR - It& #39;s a conversation that needs to happen.

(Excuse the non-Indianapolis mid-century examples: didn& #39;t want to deal with the copyright police. But the 1910 and 1911 examples are from Indy.)

Compare:
Meta-lesson: so many issues surrounding equity boil down to the built environment - whether its where people live or where they CAN live, how they move around the city, how and where they access services & amenities. To understand those impacts, talk to your local arch historian.
They can help provide documentation and research about changes in planning, design & construction of buildings, infrastructure & utilities, which all contribute to the built environment.

P.S. - I& #39;m always here to help with these questions; sometimes I just have a bit of a queue
You can follow @JordanRyanArch.
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