2 ms·
Probably the greatest lie of the boomer generation was the presumption that quarter acre single family stick homes were ever going to be, in the long run, "inex
by zanny 7y ago
Probably the greatest lie of the boomer generation was the presumption that quarter acre single family stick homes were ever going to be, in the long run, "inexpensive".
The externalities have come back to bite society at large in numerous forms. The unmanageable maintenance debt on the infrastructure to support them. The dependence on private enterprise storefronts to supply developments that can close up shop at any point and leave whole regions without access to a proper grocery store. The ongoing maintenance cost upkeeping all the land and structures. The time lost commuting around areas of extraordinarily low population density. The structural macroeconomic expenses in building supply chains to support such a spread out population. The social isolation and resulting depression that plagues the society as people silo themselves off behind their picket fences.
The broader trend must be towards density. That doesn't mean to compromise privacy, or even necessarily individual usable space - but it does mean a move away from stick houses with 4 lanes in between towards 4+ stories with bus and train access.
- esotericn 7y agoWhy a a dichotomy between a decent house, and a 'stack em high' mindset? Terraced housing as seen all over Europe could house single families without issue. London is full of these things. 100sqm is really quite a decently sized home with gardens front and back. That's already a 10x density improvement. Not everyone wants to live in an apartment surrounded by other people on all sides with no control over the place they live in (because it's all outsourced to a "management company" e.g. nonsense bureaucracy). As far as I can tell all you're going to do by building tons of flats is entrench some sort of class system. Outside of elite city center locations only proles will be living in apartments.
- fjsolwmv 7y ago100sqm is undesirable to Americans. We need our living rooms and our man caves and our bedrooms for each child and our back yards.
- jacques_chester 7y agoAmerica's most populous city is New York.
- CydeWeys 7y ago100 m^2 is 1,076 ft^2. You're right that it's not large by American standards, but it's also not that small. And if you got a substantially shorter commute out of it, it might appeal to a lot of people.
- scarface74 7y agoHouses are inexpensive in many areas of the country outside of the HN bubble.