4 ms·

Just build dense housing. People actually like dense mixed use living.

tayo42 3y ago
There is no way that is true. Idk anyone that enjoys living in an apartment. Where are you getting that idea from? Density is horrible for qol in my experience.
- notaustinpowers 3y ago
  Apartments aren't the only dense housing solution. Townhomes, repurposed warehouses, etc are excellent solutions. My favorite place I lived every was a townhome in a community of about 100 homes. It was a special 50/50 community where 50% were tax credit and the other 50% were privately-owned (I rented a privately owned townhome). They all looked the same so there was no stigma as to who had section 8 and who didn't, and the community was kept up very well. $1,200/month for 3bd/2.5ba, 1,200sqft with hardwood flooring and free off-street assigned parking 15 minutes from the city. Lived there 3 years and moved out in 2018, loved it. Now I pay $1,200/month to live a 600sqft studio apartment behind a Costco an hour from the city. To this day I don't understand why this style of housing isn't more popular.
  - trgn 3y ago
    > I don't understand why this style of housing isn't more popular You answered your own question. > They all looked the same so there was no stigma as to who had section 8 and who didn't Part of the point of segregating by income is precisely to distinguish the haves from the have-nots.
  - tayo42 3y ago
    Living with poverty brings a whole bunch of new problems. I live in a community like this. Its noisy, filled with people with their own issues. I have alcoholics getting drunk in the parking lots making noise along with regular drunk driving. The police make regular visits to my complex. Noise, traffic, safety these are realities of dense living that effect quality of life. More people mean more chances to have babies next door, crying through your shared walls, more anti social behavior from people.
- trgn 3y ago
  People picture the wrong thing, usually soul crushing tower block. Picture Savannah, Charleston, small college towns, ... Dense, but spacious, accommodating, lush, verdant. If the surroundings are low quality, then yes, density sucks. If the surrounding area is high quality, density makes things better. More things closer. It's awesome. Money talks too. The denser, walkable areas are always the most expensive. Market is underserved in much of this country.
- noahtallen 3y ago
  The simple reason is that dense areas are more expensive, so there is clearly a lot of demand for it, even if you dislike it. As to why, it's really all about tradeoffs. If you live in a nice house with land, you'll be far from city amenities. If you want to be close to city amenities (concerts, theaters, stadiums, bars, restaurants, shops, activities, people, being able to walk to places, public transit, etc), then you need to live somewhere dense. Dense areas are popular because there are so many cool things nearby you. That's just not possible if you live in the suburbs. Sure, most people would probably prefer a single-family home also in a dense area. But that's just physically impossible. A subdivision of nice homes with yards doesn't even contain enough people to support its own infrastructure (roads, pipes, etc) let alone a vibrant local restaurant scene. So you must drive everywhere you go, which has some serious downsides. So many people prefer being able to walk to a coffee shop or to the bar without needing to drive. There's a reason 15-minute cities are growing in popularity.
  - tayo42 3y ago
    > The simple reason is that dense areas are more expensive, so there is clearly a lot of demand for it, even if you dislike it. Just to start, this doesn't match reality. Dense cities get a lot of attention. Look at the SF Bay area. SF city is expensive yes, and it's dense. The median home is about 1.2 million. The rest of the bay's home prices suggest that people prefer less dense living. Atherton with a median home prices over 7million, palo alto at over 3 million, los altos is 3.5 million, menlo park over 2.8million, mill valley almost 2 million. The most expensive places to live in the US are never its major cities.
    - teaearlgraycold 3y ago
      I think this just proves that dense urban housing is both desirable and lower cost. What doesn’t change is that land is expensive. They aren’t making any more of it.
dporter 3y ago
Just because someone prefers it over being homeless or commuting 90 minutes each way doesn't mean they like it
- dctoedt 3y ago
  > Just because someone prefers it over being homeless or commuting 90 minutes each way doesn't mean they like it Doesn't "like" have to be assessed in comparison to the available alternatives? I mean, I don't like having to cook (minimally), empty the dishwasher, and other daily household chores, but I prefer those things to store-bought meals, eating on paper plates with plastic utensils, and/or hiring a daily housekeeper.
hightrix 3y ago
Some people, yes. Some people also really dislike dense housing. I would suggest more people dislike dense housing than like it. Given equal opportunity, I would bet most people would choose to live in a ranch style house with land around it than an apartment.

There is no way that is true. Idk anyone that enjoys living in an apartment. Where are you getting that idea from? Density is horrible for qol in my experience.

notaustinpowers 3y ago
Apartments aren't the only dense housing solution. Townhomes, repurposed warehouses, etc are excellent solutions. My favorite place I lived every was a townhome in a community of about 100 homes. It was a special 50/50 community where 50% were tax credit and the other 50% were privately-owned (I rented a privately owned townhome). They all looked the same so there was no stigma as to who had section 8 and who didn't, and the community was kept up very well. $1,200/month for 3bd/2.5ba, 1,200sqft with hardwood flooring and free off-street assigned parking 15 minutes from the city. Lived there 3 years and moved out in 2018, loved it. Now I pay $1,200/month to live a 600sqft studio apartment behind a Costco an hour from the city. To this day I don't understand why this style of housing isn't more popular.
- trgn 3y ago
  > I don't understand why this style of housing isn't more popular You answered your own question. > They all looked the same so there was no stigma as to who had section 8 and who didn't Part of the point of segregating by income is precisely to distinguish the haves from the have-nots.
- tayo42 3y ago
  Living with poverty brings a whole bunch of new problems. I live in a community like this. Its noisy, filled with people with their own issues. I have alcoholics getting drunk in the parking lots making noise along with regular drunk driving. The police make regular visits to my complex. Noise, traffic, safety these are realities of dense living that effect quality of life. More people mean more chances to have babies next door, crying through your shared walls, more anti social behavior from people.
trgn 3y ago
People picture the wrong thing, usually soul crushing tower block. Picture Savannah, Charleston, small college towns, ... Dense, but spacious, accommodating, lush, verdant. If the surroundings are low quality, then yes, density sucks. If the surrounding area is high quality, density makes things better. More things closer. It's awesome. Money talks too. The denser, walkable areas are always the most expensive. Market is underserved in much of this country.
noahtallen 3y ago
The simple reason is that dense areas are more expensive, so there is clearly a lot of demand for it, even if you dislike it. As to why, it's really all about tradeoffs. If you live in a nice house with land, you'll be far from city amenities. If you want to be close to city amenities (concerts, theaters, stadiums, bars, restaurants, shops, activities, people, being able to walk to places, public transit, etc), then you need to live somewhere dense. Dense areas are popular because there are so many cool things nearby you. That's just not possible if you live in the suburbs. Sure, most people would probably prefer a single-family home also in a dense area. But that's just physically impossible. A subdivision of nice homes with yards doesn't even contain enough people to support its own infrastructure (roads, pipes, etc) let alone a vibrant local restaurant scene. So you must drive everywhere you go, which has some serious downsides. So many people prefer being able to walk to a coffee shop or to the bar without needing to drive. There's a reason 15-minute cities are growing in popularity.
- tayo42 3y ago
  > The simple reason is that dense areas are more expensive, so there is clearly a lot of demand for it, even if you dislike it. Just to start, this doesn't match reality. Dense cities get a lot of attention. Look at the SF Bay area. SF city is expensive yes, and it's dense. The median home is about 1.2 million. The rest of the bay's home prices suggest that people prefer less dense living. Atherton with a median home prices over 7million, palo alto at over 3 million, los altos is 3.5 million, menlo park over 2.8million, mill valley almost 2 million. The most expensive places to live in the US are never its major cities.
  - teaearlgraycold 3y ago
    I think this just proves that dense urban housing is both desirable and lower cost. What doesn’t change is that land is expensive. They aren’t making any more of it.

dporter 3y ago

Just because someone prefers it over being homeless or commuting 90 minutes each way doesn't mean they like it

dctoedt 3y ago
> Just because someone prefers it over being homeless or commuting 90 minutes each way doesn't mean they like it Doesn't "like" have to be assessed in comparison to the available alternatives? I mean, I don't like having to cook (minimally), empty the dishwasher, and other daily household chores, but I prefer those things to store-bought meals, eating on paper plates with plastic utensils, and/or hiring a daily housekeeper.

hightrix 3y ago

Some people, yes. Some people also really dislike dense housing. I would suggest more people dislike dense housing than like it. Given equal opportunity, I would bet most people would choose to live in a ranch style house with land around it than an apartment.