One of the ironies of architecture is that sometimes a project can be successful for the way it doesn’t stand out. Next Door Creative Offices strikes a rare balance between blending in with the scale of the neighborhood while also establishing a distinct sense of identity and place within its borders.

“A discussion among architects, urban designers, activists, and community leaders advocating for positive growth, healthy communities, and bottom-up revitalization of historically disinvested neighborhoods in Austin, sharing design and urban planning strategies for applying an equity lens to the built environment.”

I once heard Houston, Texas described as “the America of America.” I believe it is neither the city’s racial diversity nor its socioeconomic segregation that make it quintessentially American, but the way the city embodies a generic ideal of growth.