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Urban Gardeners

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Breeze-Blocks • Our editors are spying breeze-blocks all over new projects—even indoors. Are they clunky throwbacks or smart classics? Here’s what our readers think.

houses we love • Here‚ our staffers pick some of their favorite city apartment renovations that architects and designers have uploaded to Dwell.com.

Modern World • Spring has blessedly arrived, and much like our ursine brethren, we’ve emerged out of our winter hibernation to boldly stroll into the sunshine. If you’re not sure what to do now that the sun sets after seven, take inspiration from the accoutrements you’ll need for three very specific outdoor urban adventures—picnicking (clothing optional) in Berlin, hiking some of Taipei’s tallest peaks, and surfing at Rockaway Beach—to get your brain and body moving. You may even get some ideas about how to bring that sense of adventure to your own backyard.

House of Healing Hearts • A longtime renter opened her New York apartment to the lovelorn and found a source of lasting friendships.

The Future of Refugee Housing • A growing number of architects are designing for displaced people, provoking the question: Are the structures being built for them doing them justice?

Good Design Makes Good Neighbors • Three Canadian townhouses show us how homes with personality can still respect their contexts.

Subtle Standout • A Toronto townhouse maintains a punchy profile while fitting in with its neighbors.

Creative Block • A Toronto architect reimagines her father’s backyard parking space as a split-level artist studio for her sister.

Connect the Dots • Drawing inspiration from surprising sources, a Montreal family makes a home where everyone can play together.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN • The Big ScreenA strategic renovation with a striated wood facade suits a New Orleans homeowner’s contemporary taste.

Building Back • Piece by piece, the Wiyot Tribe has been reassembling its ancestral territories in Northern California. Now, it’s using a land trust to create affordable housing so its community can stay.

FINDING THE CENTER • An architect riffs on the winding streets of his neighborhood to turn a set of shopworn buildings into a layered, comfortably raw single-family home.

Familiar Footing • A Los Angeles developer’s experiment in creating a sustainable home was the perfect starting point for a landscape designer.

The Poolside Life—on Loan • It’s never been easier to borrow your neighbor’s turquoise paradise—or lease out your extra liquid square feet.

Pool Pioneers • Meet four pool owners with a dedication to the aquatic lifestyle despite circumstances that might have frustrated the meek.

sourcing • Explore the products, furniture, architects, designers, and builders featured in this issue.

one last thing • The founders of New York design studio A+A+A use an heirloom mah-jongg set to make room for everyone at the table.