A proposal reimagining the American suburban home as a more affordable, adaptable and socially-connected place to live earned an honorable mention in The Next House: USA competition for School of Architecture Professor Lawrence Davis and alumnus Chenhao Luo ’23.

Organized by Buildner, an international architecture competition platform, The Next House: USA challenged architects and designers to rethink the traditional single-family home amid rising housing costs, environmental concerns and changing household needs. The competition called for compact yet generous homes that use space efficiently and support stronger connections between families and their communities.

Davis and Luo’s proposal, titled “Already Home: Prototypes for Affordability and the Socially Porous House,” explores how existing suburban neighborhoods can accommodate additional housing, shared amenities and small-scale economic opportunities without losing their familiar character.

The project focuses on Mattydale, a suburb north of Syracuse, where underutilized postwar residential lots offer opportunities to rethink how homes and neighborhoods are organized. Rather than demolishing existing houses or introducing large-scale developments, “Already Home” envisions gradually increasing residential density through accessory dwelling units (ADUs), shared gardens, home-based businesses, workshops, cafés and childcare services. These additions could generate income for residents while creating more opportunities for neighbors to interact.

The proposal draws inspiration from ethnoburbs—suburban communities shaped by immigrant and ethnic populations that have adapted conventional residential lots to accommodate evolving household, cultural and economic needs. The concept builds on ideas Davis explored in his 2024 book, “Rewriting Exurbia: New People in Aging Sprawl“, for which Luo helped develop the design graphics. Luo, who now practices urban design at SCB in Boston, collaborated with Davis on the competition entry.

“Many of the spatial and financial ideas we used in this scheme, such as added residential density, small extended-family-scale development, and a modest dose of social programs, are already at work in North America’s ethnoburbs,” says Davis. “As architects and urbanists, we can learn from them and refine these inventive practices in a more studied way.”

The proposal also incorporates environmental and financial strategies by retaining and retrofitting existing homes, introducing pedestrian connections and small electric bus routes and exploring development across two- and three-lot groupings. Rental income from ADUs and small commercial spaces could help offset housing costs, while small financial cooperatives among friends, families and neighbors could support development while maintaining local control.

The broader project team also included Andrew Klamon, a former assistant professor at Syracuse Architecture who now practices real estate development in Washington, D.C., and Xinxiu Shi ’27, a fifth-year architecture student who contributed to the project’s drawings and development. Klamon’s real estate expertise helped shape the proposal’s financial framework.

Through “Already Home,” the team presents an alternative vision for suburban growth—one that builds on existing neighborhoods rather than starting over. The proposal demonstrates how familiar suburban landscapes can evolve to address contemporary housing challenges while creating more connected, vibrant communities.