Housing Workshops


Housing for Delaware: Balancing Community Needs

In partnership with the Office of State Planning and University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration (IPA), beginning in 2007 a course on housing was added to the IPA's Delaware Planning Education Series. The series offers training on various planning topics to staff and elected officials throughout the year. The housing course explores the housing challenges Delawareans face and the resources and tools available to address these challenges.

2007 & 2008 Workshops - Housing for Delaware: Balancing Community Needs

2009, 2010, & 2012 Workshops –Emerging from the Housing Crisis

The housing workshop is typically held in November. For information on the Planning Education Series, visit http://www.ipa.udel.edu/localgovt/training/planning-ed_topics.html. Current course offerings and registration is available at http://www.ipa.udel.edu/events.html.

Delaware by Design Mobile Workshops
The Delaware Chapter of the American Planning Association (DEAPA) in conjunction with the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) and the Delaware Office of State Planning (DEOSP) developed a three-day mobile workshop series highlighting Delaware communities that exhibit traditional neighborhood design principles.

Traditional neighborhood design is a town planning principal that has experience a surge in appeal by many. New developments designed in this style provide a variety of convenient and attractive housing choices usually absent from our current development patterns. Delaware's families will increasingly be drawn to these options due to demographic changes, economic realities, and market preferences based on lifestyle choices.

The mobile workshop series consisted of different development topics on three consecutive Thursdays. Traveling on a charter buses, registrants visited Delaware communities throughout the day. Representative speakers discussed the history of the area, a description of the project, and the design aspects. The first tour focused on Historical and Infill with the purpose of illustrating that the principles of good design and compact housing have been a proven and well-established practice for many decades. Selected sites include: Christina Care, Symnra; Washington House Condos, Newark; Wawaset, Wilmington, and Market Street redevelopment, Wilmington.

Attainable Housing developments were spotlighted on the second tour. This workshop will illustrate how attainable housing, even at a higher density, can be aesthetically appealing. Selected sites include: Village of Westover & Cannon Mills, Dover; Pike Creek, Wilmington; Village of Eastlake, Wilmington; and Union Park Gardens, Wilmington.

Mixed-Use & Compact Housing was highlighted on the final day of the tour series. The purpose of this topic is to showcase mixed-use developments have been implemented with much success across the state. Sites include: The Overlook, Dover; Hearthstone Manor, Milford; Cannery Village, Milton; Paynter's Mill, Milton; and Village of Five Points, Lewes.

Delawarebydesign.delaware.gov is a website that has been created based on the tour series. Please visit the site to learn more about Delaware's well-designed communities. The website includes a large number of pictures of these communities, as well as the text based on the Designing for Density in Delaware publication that will be published by DSHA in early 2010.