4 ms·

Having a bathroom shared between many strangers is exceptionally annoying. You have to queue for your turn to use the shower. If someone spends ages in their, w

Having a bathroom shared between many strangers is exceptionally annoying. You have to queue for your turn to use the shower. If someone spends ages in their, well bad luck you're going to be late for work or no shower for you. Many people these days choose not to share a single bathroom even between family members, never mind trying to negotiate with your co-residents. Then how is this shared bathroom cleaned and by who and to what standard? What if one of your neighbours refuses to do the work? Bad luck for you. The $500 cost of a shower unit and toilet isn't what makes housing unavailable to the poor. Housing standards are a good thing as accommodation quality regresses to the minimum allowed by law.

mafuy 5y ago
I disagree. These problems are true, but they can mostly be worked around. For instance, do you have to shower in the morning? - many people do not. They are not worse than other problems the affected people experience, I'm sure. The cost issue is less from the inventory and more from the space. Even just 2qm (quite small bathroom) more per unit adds up to a lot quickly. Personally, I hate to share a bathroom with neighbors. But when I could not avoid it for a while when I was younger, it could still manage. I'm sure others in less fortunate positions could, too, considering the other, more impactful crap they have to deal with.
- IMSAI8080 5y ago
  The comment I was replying to presents a false choice. It's suggesting that people are sleeping on the streets due to the provision of quality accommodation and if only quality of housing could be made worse people would not be sleeping on the streets. What utter nonsense. You can provide people with housing AND make it decent. A 2 square metre bathroom is too luxurious for you? How small a room are you suggesting should be provided to each individual in your view?
  - mafuy 5y ago
    I felt the parent comment was not so much talking in absolutes but rather pointing out that overly broad regulation can be a real problem. I'm generally a fan of regulation, but I can see how it can be a problem. I, and I think you and the grandparent comment, too, agree that there is a tradeoff to be made. I probably should have said 4qm, which I believe is more commonly used. In that case, merging let's say 4 of them into one shared room yields 12qm of space. That's enough for an apartment!

mafuy 5y ago

I disagree. These problems are true, but they can mostly be worked around. For instance, do you have to shower in the morning? - many people do not. They are not worse than other problems the affected people experience, I'm sure. The cost issue is less from the inventory and more from the space. Even just 2qm (quite small bathroom) more per unit adds up to a lot quickly. Personally, I hate to share a bathroom with neighbors. But when I could not avoid it for a while when I was younger, it could still manage. I'm sure others in less fortunate positions could, too, considering the other, more impactful crap they have to deal with.

IMSAI8080 5y ago
The comment I was replying to presents a false choice. It's suggesting that people are sleeping on the streets due to the provision of quality accommodation and if only quality of housing could be made worse people would not be sleeping on the streets. What utter nonsense. You can provide people with housing AND make it decent. A 2 square metre bathroom is too luxurious for you? How small a room are you suggesting should be provided to each individual in your view?
- mafuy 5y ago
  I felt the parent comment was not so much talking in absolutes but rather pointing out that overly broad regulation can be a real problem. I'm generally a fan of regulation, but I can see how it can be a problem. I, and I think you and the grandparent comment, too, agree that there is a tradeoff to be made. I probably should have said 4qm, which I believe is more commonly used. In that case, merging let's say 4 of them into one shared room yields 12qm of space. That's enough for an apartment!