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The German Democratic Republik (East Germany) had the problem of needing housing for many thousand people in the 1970s. It was not possible to build enough flat

The German Democratic Republik (East Germany) had the problem of needing housing for many thousand people in the 1970s. It was not possible to build enough flats. The only way they could scale up their efforts was through standardisation. Berlin Marzahn and other areas were villages back than. The Marzahn Village for example still exists today. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wohnungsbauprogramm_(DDR) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wohnungsbauprogramm_(DDR) People wanted individualisation, but the housing was needed. So they put color in their balconies, which made them look like color patches. And there existed big murals on the ends of some houses. After reunification, a lot of these buildings were modernised and made look the same again. Only the color scheme between houses was different. Existing murals were often painted over. People then realised, it does look nicer to have coloured walls and they start to let artists paint the ends again. Here is an example by the East German artist Mad C https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Berlin_Mural_Fest_2019_MadC_Berlin-Hellersdorf_1v3.jpg https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Berlin_Mural_Fest_2019_M... Here is a video of Team Mad Flava, painting a large mural in Greifswald. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q0vMB5k71c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q0vMB5k71c

nottorp 4y ago
> People then realised, it does look nicer to have coloured walls and they start to let artists paint the ends again. I really don't understand how people can enjoy the "us homeowner association" uniformity. It's boring. Let everyone personalize their home.
- htag 4y ago
  Here's how it happens. Step 1. Buy 640 acres of land (square mile) outside a growing and sprawling US metropolitan area. Step 2. Wait 10-30 years, until the metro has grown to the edge of your land. Step 3. Make friends with the nearest city council. Make friends with a developer. Talk about tax revenue. Talk about investing in local infrastructure and communities. Step 4. Get annexed. Take out a large loan. Partner with local utilities to extend services, build roads, donate some land to the city for a park or elementary school. Establish a strong HOA with all the current trends to avoid eyesores dragging down your big investment until you move all the units. Accept deposits for new homes. Local population growth fuels demand. Step 5. In five to ten years sell >8000 homes at an average cost of $0.5M, bringing in over $4,000M in business. You've made enough friends and connections to roll your cut into the best local opportunities.

nottorp 4y ago

> People then realised, it does look nicer to have coloured walls and they start to let artists paint the ends again. I really don't understand how people can enjoy the "us homeowner association" uniformity. It's boring. Let everyone personalize their home.

htag 4y ago
Here's how it happens. Step 1. Buy 640 acres of land (square mile) outside a growing and sprawling US metropolitan area. Step 2. Wait 10-30 years, until the metro has grown to the edge of your land. Step 3. Make friends with the nearest city council. Make friends with a developer. Talk about tax revenue. Talk about investing in local infrastructure and communities. Step 4. Get annexed. Take out a large loan. Partner with local utilities to extend services, build roads, donate some land to the city for a park or elementary school. Establish a strong HOA with all the current trends to avoid eyesores dragging down your big investment until you move all the units. Accept deposits for new homes. Local population growth fuels demand. Step 5. In five to ten years sell >8000 homes at an average cost of $0.5M, bringing in over $4,000M in business. You've made enough friends and connections to roll your cut into the best local opportunities.