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> Convince people to live in smaller houses and share walls with their neighbors, and the parking situation would change dramatically. Completely unnecessary.

> Convince people to live in smaller houses and share walls with their neighbors, and the parking situation would change dramatically. Completely unnecessary. Want a front yard, back yard, and garage (attached to a laneway)? Plenty of that was build pre-WW2: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcar_suburb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcar_suburb * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWsGBRdK2N0&t=1m8s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWsGBRdK2N0&t=1m8s The Oh the Urbanity channel has a video on the (mistaken) idea that "urban living" = Manhattan / Hong Kong apartment blocks: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCmz-fgp24E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCmz-fgp24E Examples (Streetview): * https://www.google.com/maps/place/125+Hampton+Ave,+Toronto,+ON https://www.google.com/maps/place/125+Hampton+Ave,+Toronto,+... * https://www.google.com/maps/place/50+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+ON https://www.google.com/maps/place/50+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+O... * https://www.google.com/maps/place/150+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+ON https://www.google.com/maps/place/150+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+... * https://www.google.com/maps/place/70+Jackman+Ave+Toronto,+ON https://www.google.com/maps/place/70+Jackman+Ave+Toronto,+ON See also: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO6txCZpbsQ&t=9m28s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO6txCZpbsQ&t=9m28s Fifteen minutes pedalling in one direction is downtown, fifteen minutes in the other is farm land.

vel0city 3y ago
The GP said "convince people to live in smaller houses and share walls", you retort back "completely unnecessary". Your first two examples are...smaller houses and shared walls.
- throw0101a 3y ago
  Define "smaller houses". Smaller than what? I can find tiny(er) houses compared to what I posted in recent developments/sub-divisions in the suburbs of Toronto (Mississauga, Oakville, Brampton, Pickering, Oshawa, etc). All the streets in question have big(er) and small(er) houses, with both semi- and fully-detached houses. Some areas have more of some kind than another. Next time I'll re-arrange the order of the links so that the big(er) stuff is first: * https://www.google.com/maps/place/150+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+ON https://www.google.com/maps/place/150+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+... There are two subways stations (Keele, Dundas West) with-in 2km of that location. You can have sizeable fully-detached houses at densities that support walking distances of various amenities and mass transit. The idea that urban living necessitates "smaller houses and share walls" is a red herring as demonstrated by a whole bunch of housing stock built pre-WW2.
  - vel0city 3y ago
    I'm not sure what the average square footage of that Geoffrey location is, I'm not great at eyeballing that. But the average US SFH is what, almost 2,500sqft these days? I imagine these are less than that figure? EDIT: I just did some quick Google Maps measuring on that 159 Geoffrey St, I estimated about 60x20 floor plate, maybe less. Lose some space from the stairs, two mostly full floors and maybe a finished attic, probably close to that 2,500ish sqft.
    - throw0101a 3y ago
      Recently sold, 2700 sq. ft: * https://juliekinnear.com/toronto-houses/51-geoffrey-street/ https://juliekinnear.com/toronto-houses/51-geoffrey-street/ Currently for sale in the same area: * https://www.properly.ca/buy/home/view/JHfk2xo4TU6BZrfBk2c3gw/on/toronto/66-parkdale-rd/ https://www.properly.ca/buy/home/view/JHfk2xo4TU6BZrfBk2c3gw... Notice the 'high' prices: this is because this neighbourhood is in high demand because urban living seems to be cool again 'with the kids'. But back in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s the prices were much, much lower because all the 'cool kids' (WASPs) were flocking to the then-new suburbs and leaving the dirty city for the immigrants (Poles in the case of Roncesvalles; Little Portugal is the next area over, and Little Italy next to that). Since the late-1990s urban living started becoming cool again. Of course such urban/walkable neighbourhoods aren't built any more, so a finite resource gets its price bidded up.
      - vel0city 3y ago
        So I guess your point is you can buy just as much square footage in the city, provided an unlimited budget. Nice to live in a world where a $2M house is a normal home price. I definitely don't live anywhere near that. So for me to live in that kind of an area, I'd probably need...a much smaller house and probably a shared wall.
        hdl 3y ago
        And they are priced like that because there is a limited supply... because they are illegal to build in the USA...
- MichaelZuo 3y ago
  I'm becoming increasingly convinced a significant portion of HN comments are made by folks who spend the barest minimum of time to post a reply. This might be one of those cases where random links were copy pasted without consideration for the actual claims.
  - throw0101a 3y ago
    > This might be one of those cases where random links were copy pasted without consideration for the actual claims. Or it could be because the same silly tropes about urban living are trotted out regularly (which is why Oh the Urbanity made their video) and some of us counter them with the same silly replies we've posted numerous times before. There are a number of examples in the posted links that are not "smaller houses and share walls", and I could find more if I didn't value my time. I could also find a whole bunch of "smaller houses and share walls" in suburbans developments in my area to show that "smaller houses and share walls" is not exclusive to (so-called) urban living; see for example "Why American Yards Are Shrinking": * https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking Small and big things are found in both cities and suburbs.
    - MichaelZuo 3y ago
      The links clearly contain a significant portion of examples that undermine your own claims. Whether it also contains a portion of examples that support them is not something I addressed in the prior comment. > * https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking > Small and big things are found in both cities and suburbs. This seems like a non-sequitur, how does this relate at all to my comment?

vel0city 3y ago

The GP said "convince people to live in smaller houses and share walls", you retort back "completely unnecessary". Your first two examples are...smaller houses and shared walls.

throw0101a 3y ago
Define "smaller houses". Smaller than what? I can find tiny(er) houses compared to what I posted in recent developments/sub-divisions in the suburbs of Toronto (Mississauga, Oakville, Brampton, Pickering, Oshawa, etc). All the streets in question have big(er) and small(er) houses, with both semi- and fully-detached houses. Some areas have more of some kind than another. Next time I'll re-arrange the order of the links so that the big(er) stuff is first: * https://www.google.com/maps/place/150+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+ON https://www.google.com/maps/place/150+Geoffrey+St,+Toronto,+... There are two subways stations (Keele, Dundas West) with-in 2km of that location. You can have sizeable fully-detached houses at densities that support walking distances of various amenities and mass transit. The idea that urban living necessitates "smaller houses and share walls" is a red herring as demonstrated by a whole bunch of housing stock built pre-WW2.
- vel0city 3y ago
  I'm not sure what the average square footage of that Geoffrey location is, I'm not great at eyeballing that. But the average US SFH is what, almost 2,500sqft these days? I imagine these are less than that figure? EDIT: I just did some quick Google Maps measuring on that 159 Geoffrey St, I estimated about 60x20 floor plate, maybe less. Lose some space from the stairs, two mostly full floors and maybe a finished attic, probably close to that 2,500ish sqft.
  - throw0101a 3y ago
    Recently sold, 2700 sq. ft: * https://juliekinnear.com/toronto-houses/51-geoffrey-street/ https://juliekinnear.com/toronto-houses/51-geoffrey-street/ Currently for sale in the same area: * https://www.properly.ca/buy/home/view/JHfk2xo4TU6BZrfBk2c3gw/on/toronto/66-parkdale-rd/ https://www.properly.ca/buy/home/view/JHfk2xo4TU6BZrfBk2c3gw... Notice the 'high' prices: this is because this neighbourhood is in high demand because urban living seems to be cool again 'with the kids'. But back in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s the prices were much, much lower because all the 'cool kids' (WASPs) were flocking to the then-new suburbs and leaving the dirty city for the immigrants (Poles in the case of Roncesvalles; Little Portugal is the next area over, and Little Italy next to that). Since the late-1990s urban living started becoming cool again. Of course such urban/walkable neighbourhoods aren't built any more, so a finite resource gets its price bidded up.
    - vel0city 3y ago
      So I guess your point is you can buy just as much square footage in the city, provided an unlimited budget. Nice to live in a world where a $2M house is a normal home price. I definitely don't live anywhere near that. So for me to live in that kind of an area, I'd probably need...a much smaller house and probably a shared wall.
      - hdl 3y ago
        And they are priced like that because there is a limited supply... because they are illegal to build in the USA...
MichaelZuo 3y ago
I'm becoming increasingly convinced a significant portion of HN comments are made by folks who spend the barest minimum of time to post a reply. This might be one of those cases where random links were copy pasted without consideration for the actual claims.
- throw0101a 3y ago
  > This might be one of those cases where random links were copy pasted without consideration for the actual claims. Or it could be because the same silly tropes about urban living are trotted out regularly (which is why Oh the Urbanity made their video) and some of us counter them with the same silly replies we've posted numerous times before. There are a number of examples in the posted links that are not "smaller houses and share walls", and I could find more if I didn't value my time. I could also find a whole bunch of "smaller houses and share walls" in suburbans developments in my area to show that "smaller houses and share walls" is not exclusive to (so-called) urban living; see for example "Why American Yards Are Shrinking": * https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking Small and big things are found in both cities and suburbs.
  - MichaelZuo 3y ago
    The links clearly contain a significant portion of examples that undermine your own claims. Whether it also contains a portion of examples that support them is not something I addressed in the prior comment. > * https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking https://cheddar.com/media/why-american-yards-are-shrinking > Small and big things are found in both cities and suburbs. This seems like a non-sequitur, how does this relate at all to my comment?