114 / The American family rowhome / with Bobby Fijan

<p><strong>Bobby Fijan</strong> — founder of <a href="https://www.americanhousing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The American Housing Corporation </a>— is in good traffic this week for a conversation on rowhomes as the ideal American family housing typology, why density and family-friendliness aren&#39;t contradictory, and how to communicate housing solutions to folks in the States.</p><p><br></p><p>We also touch on: Philadelphia&#39;s multi-generational neighborhoods. Brooklyn Heights, Highland Park, and Brookline as proof points. Rowhomes in local varieties across Charleston, San Francisco, Boston. Saint Albans Street&#39;s shared garden model. Communicating density through examples people already love. Finding political consensus before naming solutions. Cottage courts and shared courtyards. Philadelphia&#39;s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood as template. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timeline:</strong></p><p>00:00 Intro.</p><p>02:16 Bobby Fijan and why rowhomes matter.</p><p>04:35 Living in Philadelphia and falling in love with the typology.</p><p>05:29 South Philly as multi-generational, working class.</p><p>06:34 Rowhomes in different local varieties.</p><p>07:14 Saint Albans Street and shared gardens.</p><p>08:47 Rowhomes as recognizably American.</p><p>10:16 Using real examples of places people know and like.</p><p>11:03 Brooklyn Heights and neighborhoods everyone admires.</p><p>12:12 Highland Park Dallas and Brookline Boston.</p><p>13:39 Dense housing designed for families, done well.</p><p>16:54 Rowhomes aren&#39;t cheap—they&#39;re designed for families.</p><p>21:10 The American Housing Corporation mission.</p><p>25:31 Meeting people where they are politically.</p><p>28:27 Finding shared goals before naming solutions.</p><p>31:15 The favorite commute: 17th and Walnut downtown.</p><p>35:54 Block and a half to preschool, four blocks to church.</p><p>40:15 Knowing individual coffee shops and their specialties.</p><p>43:03 The squash club in Horace Trumbauer building.</p><p>46:33 Indoor pool, martinis, and discovering new interests.</p><p>49:21 Airport access as part of the equation.</p><p>52:39 10th and Lombard cottage court model.</p><p>54:16 Wrapping up.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Further context:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.americanhousing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>The American Housing Corporation.</strong></a></p><p><a href="https://x.com/bobbyfijan?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Follow Bobby, on X.</strong></a></p>