3 ms·

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

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.

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.