3 ms·

It always strikes me as so weird when someone deems it appropriate to speak for a whole group of people, especially a group as diverse as Europeans. Just say yo

It always strikes me as so weird when someone deems it appropriate to speak for a whole group of people, especially a group as diverse as Europeans. Just say you don't want to live like that and then lobby government to put in place regulations that will allow you to live the way you want while allowing others to choose to live the way they want, even if that means in a 500 square foot highrise apartment in a densely packed area.

ChuckNorris89 4y ago
It always strikes me weird when someone judges me without knowing me. And I'm not speaking for a group of people, but the real estate market in Europe speaks for itself and what the people are voting for, including with their wallets, and what the regulations allow for. It's what I noticed since I moved here. I'm not making this up, it's what the market looks like. Don't hate the messenger. If you pitch China style neighborhoods of concrete jungles full of high-rise buildings in Europe, for the sake of growth, nobody will want that. We already have some such buildings/neighborhoods and are usually low income migrant areas where nobody wants to live. And post-communist Eastern Europe has such areas of commie-blocks but that's a different story. The most desirable housing here where I live (Austria) is low-height (2-4 stories) low density neighborhoods with green gardens in walkable areas close to the old town where all the amenities are, or single family homes with large green areas in the country side. Those are also the most expensive forms of housing (d'uh!). I've notices this market preference applies to other EU countries that I lived in as well. Tall, high-rise concrete buildings here are few and are usually built as low-cost housing for low-income people and are usually located further from the old-town where building regulations allow for extra height and where land is cheaper because it's also in less desirable areas with more trafic noise, more pollution, less green spaces and worse schools/amenities/infrastructure. Nobody, except the people who can't afford better, wish to live in those high-rise dense buildings/neighborhoods as it's pretty depressing, and some of those neighborhoods are already showing signs of ghettoization including higher crime rates and low school performance, which doesn't help sell the idea of high dense living as being desirable to anyone. Maybe there are exceptions in the diverse EU, with cities that have made dense, tall, multistory concrete jungles a desirable living proposition even for the well off to have families in, but I haven't seen that yet. I'm sure tall and dense building could be made desirable here for many Europeans but it requires a complete shift in mentality, and a well though out urban planning that focuses on quality of life and livability for all social classes to live under the same roof, instead of building them as cheap housing for migrants in the middle of nowhere to turn into future ghettos.
- badpun 4y ago
  Some of these high-rise commie-blocks in Poland are actually pretty desirable. The difference is that they weren't built to warehouse poor people in some undesirable area next to a freeway and a landfill. They're often close to city center and have plenty of green space between buildings, including lots of beatiful trees. The communists had real city planning (it was easy for them, as they owned everything in the country :), so there's often a nice park next to the blocks that serves its residents, schools, stores and public health care are all within walkable distance etc.

ChuckNorris89 4y ago

It always strikes me weird when someone judges me without knowing me. And I'm not speaking for a group of people, but the real estate market in Europe speaks for itself and what the people are voting for, including with their wallets, and what the regulations allow for. It's what I noticed since I moved here. I'm not making this up, it's what the market looks like. Don't hate the messenger. If you pitch China style neighborhoods of concrete jungles full of high-rise buildings in Europe, for the sake of growth, nobody will want that. We already have some such buildings/neighborhoods and are usually low income migrant areas where nobody wants to live. And post-communist Eastern Europe has such areas of commie-blocks but that's a different story. The most desirable housing here where I live (Austria) is low-height (2-4 stories) low density neighborhoods with green gardens in walkable areas close to the old town where all the amenities are, or single family homes with large green areas in the country side. Those are also the most expensive forms of housing (d'uh!). I've notices this market preference applies to other EU countries that I lived in as well. Tall, high-rise concrete buildings here are few and are usually built as low-cost housing for low-income people and are usually located further from the old-town where building regulations allow for extra height and where land is cheaper because it's also in less desirable areas with more trafic noise, more pollution, less green spaces and worse schools/amenities/infrastructure. Nobody, except the people who can't afford better, wish to live in those high-rise dense buildings/neighborhoods as it's pretty depressing, and some of those neighborhoods are already showing signs of ghettoization including higher crime rates and low school performance, which doesn't help sell the idea of high dense living as being desirable to anyone. Maybe there are exceptions in the diverse EU, with cities that have made dense, tall, multistory concrete jungles a desirable living proposition even for the well off to have families in, but I haven't seen that yet. I'm sure tall and dense building could be made desirable here for many Europeans but it requires a complete shift in mentality, and a well though out urban planning that focuses on quality of life and livability for all social classes to live under the same roof, instead of building them as cheap housing for migrants in the middle of nowhere to turn into future ghettos.

badpun 4y ago
Some of these high-rise commie-blocks in Poland are actually pretty desirable. The difference is that they weren't built to warehouse poor people in some undesirable area next to a freeway and a landfill. They're often close to city center and have plenty of green space between buildings, including lots of beatiful trees. The communists had real city planning (it was easy for them, as they owned everything in the country :), so there's often a nice park next to the blocks that serves its residents, schools, stores and public health care are all within walkable distance etc.