Reinventing an Urban Vernacular ─ Developing Sustainable Housing Prototypes for Cities Based on Traditional Strategies

This century will bring dramatic changes to construction practices and our urban environment, thereby creating a wide range of new and rather daunting challenges for architects and urban planners. The Earth will continue to warm, construction resources will become more scarce and expensive and millions of people will begin to move into cities either as immigrants, empty nesters or suburbanites attempting to avoid long commutes. In order to find solutions to these problems and to promote better urban communities with an overall environmentally responsible lifestyle, A New Urban Vernacular examines a wide variety of vernacular building precedents as they relate to the unique characteristics and demands of six distinctly different regions of the United States. Climate, locally available, sustainable building materials and tradition all are a part of this mix. By distilling many of these important lessons, one can begin to create the next generation of urban housing based on practical time proven strategies.

Terry Moor applies these principles, clearly illustrating specific directions toward a new urban vernacular where one can build appealing housing, recreate a sense of community and invigorate our cities. Written for students, architects, planners and urban designers, A New Urban Vernacular marries the urban vernacular with ongoing sustainability efforts to produce a unique solution to the housing needs of the changing urban environment.

Terry M. Moor obtained a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas and a Masters in Studio Arts from Harvard University. He served in the Peace Corps in Tunisia for two years. Upon returning to the US, he established his own architectural firm near Boston and taught, served as department head and dean in the Department of Architecture at Wentworth Institute of Technology before retiring.