We all need a place to live, but the type of housing we choose has an effect on the environment. Ideally, our housing choices have minimal impact on the environment, on the land, the quality of the air and water and on the wildlife that are our neighbors.

That’s the topic of discussion with my guest Sarah Simpson, who is an architect and co-founder of Color Space Architecture and Urban Design. Her philosophy is one of working with the ecology of a region when designing multi-family housing and live-work units.

Some of Simpson’s ideas challenge common misconceptions about multi-family versus single-family housing and their resulting environmental effects.