Final answer:
The shotgun house is a residential design iconic to the Lowland South, introduced by African-Haitians with a characteristic long and narrow layout and culturally significant due to its diffusion throughout the US.
Step-by-step explanation:
The shotgun house is a notable architectural design mainly linked to the Lowland South of the United States. These homes were introduced by African-Haitians and are characterized by their long, narrow design - often one room wide and several rooms deep. The name 'shotgun house' may come from the idea that a shotgun could fire through the open front door and the pellets would fly straight out the backdoor, given the direct line of sight through aligned doors. Some variants of this design include the double shotgun, which consists of two shotgun houses sharing a center wall, and the camelback shotgun, which features a second story at the back end of the house. This second story was often added to avoid higher property taxes, which were based on the square footage of the front of the house.
Shotgun houses spread throughout the US, becoming a part of popular culture and the fabric of many communities, particularly those with substantial African-American populations or industrial zones where workers needed housing. Their popularity and cultural significance show the interconnection between architectural design, migration, economic policing, and cultural adaptation.