4 ms·

I saw an article about Portland and how smaller houses and outbuildings are forbidden in the U.S. Also, people in the U.S. have ridiculously large houses (exce

I saw an article about Portland and how smaller houses and outbuildings are forbidden in the U.S. Also, people in the U.S. have ridiculously large houses (except in S.F. and New York). 800 square foot is huge, the average 2-bedroom apartment here in Montevideo is about 600 square feet, and serves a family of four more often than not. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/06/style/portland-affordable-housing-solutions-tiny-homes.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/06/style/portland-affordable-...

princeb 10y ago
you don't even have to go that small. in Singapore the typical hdb flat for a family is 2-3 br which is between 900 to 1100 sqft (but goes up to 4 brs at 1600 sqft). and on a habitable land basis it is one of the densest cities in the world. so yes you can provide liveable spaces to a lot of people and have them all in the same area at once. but they also have a state admin that controls a large proportion of residential land supply and is willing to sacrifice property prices as the main method of wealth creation (which imo is a good thing, because firstly one can never fully unlock that kind of equity in his life as long as he needs a place to stay, and second because it pulls capital away from productive sectors)
- r00fus 10y ago
  > one can never fully unlock that kind of equity in his life as long as he needs a place to stay This is untrue. A reverse-mortgage or HELOC can easily unlock the equity while keeping your ownership stake at a safe level and allowing you to continue residing.
  - mattmcknight 10y ago
    Don't forget cash-out refinance.
  - maerF0x0 10y ago
    Also dont forget selling and then using the money to pay rent.
- djsumdog 10y ago
  Singapore also has one of the best rail systems in the world. It's fully automated too. But they also have laws around cars that would have Americans screaming for their guns. A certificate of entitlement (COE) can cost $50~$70k SD, and that's just for the right to buy a car. That doesn't include the cost of the car or registration.
davidw 10y ago
There's room for all kinds of housing - but many types are flat out illegal in many parts of the US. And zoning codes are such that cities cannot adapt as they grow.
GunboatDiplomat 10y ago
You know we have room in the United States, right? The average density is like 90 per square mile or less. We're rich, too. So we can have 800 square foot (which is small) apartments. 600 square feet is borderline sardine can.

princeb 10y ago

you don't even have to go that small. in Singapore the typical hdb flat for a family is 2-3 br which is between 900 to 1100 sqft (but goes up to 4 brs at 1600 sqft). and on a habitable land basis it is one of the densest cities in the world. so yes you can provide liveable spaces to a lot of people and have them all in the same area at once. but they also have a state admin that controls a large proportion of residential land supply and is willing to sacrifice property prices as the main method of wealth creation (which imo is a good thing, because firstly one can never fully unlock that kind of equity in his life as long as he needs a place to stay, and second because it pulls capital away from productive sectors)

r00fus 10y ago
> one can never fully unlock that kind of equity in his life as long as he needs a place to stay This is untrue. A reverse-mortgage or HELOC can easily unlock the equity while keeping your ownership stake at a safe level and allowing you to continue residing.
- mattmcknight 10y ago
  Don't forget cash-out refinance.
- maerF0x0 10y ago
  Also dont forget selling and then using the money to pay rent.
djsumdog 10y ago
Singapore also has one of the best rail systems in the world. It's fully automated too. But they also have laws around cars that would have Americans screaming for their guns. A certificate of entitlement (COE) can cost $50~$70k SD, and that's just for the right to buy a car. That doesn't include the cost of the car or registration.

davidw 10y ago

There's room for all kinds of housing - but many types are flat out illegal in many parts of the US. And zoning codes are such that cities cannot adapt as they grow.

GunboatDiplomat 10y ago

You know we have room in the United States, right? The average density is like 90 per square mile or less. We're rich, too. So we can have 800 square foot (which is small) apartments. 600 square feet is borderline sardine can.