4 ms·

This reads like designing a city for 20-something singles whose highest priorities are nightlife and dining. What about the rest of us?

by refurb 3y ago

nox101 3y ago
I'm pretty sure much of the world disagrees with that assessment. Lots 30s and 40 somethings with children and lots of older people living in walkable cities. The problem in the USA is that there's very little of this style of living. It's all tract housing and suburban style apartment complexes and almost no walkable cities. I'd be nice to have more of them since we already have plenty of suburbs and traffic.
- refurb 3y ago
  For a lot of the world that’s the only affordable housing. Single family homes are just out of reach financially. I know in Asian, many (but not all) of the people I know in apartments would love a house but can’t afford it.
  - ryandrake 3y ago
    I agree. Different people like different environments and living arrangements. One size does not fit all. Personally, I like suburban single family home living, and I would never go back to dense urban apartment living unless I was forced to at gunpoint. Options are good.
    - sagarm 3y ago
      And yet it's not possible to build new walkable communities, despite the high price of existing ones indicating there's plenty of demand.
fmobus 3y ago
Plenty of happy families in my building here in Germany, judging by how active kids are in the playground. Heck, we even have a kindergarten right next to the building, schools within walking distance (and kids actually walk to them - alone), three different groceries within 5 minutes, not a single surface parking lot in sight.
- s1artibartfast 3y ago
  I think the question that was raised is one of preference. How many of them would keep their 80 m^2 urban flat if offered a 250 m^2 suburban detached home? Humans are incredibly adaptive and resilient. I have met happy families living in a garbage dump.
  - fmobus 3y ago
    I can extrapolate how much work is involved in keeping a 250sqm house clean, so I would decline the offer unless it came with magical cleaning dwarves.
    - s1artibartfast 3y ago
      As someone with a large house, I certainly feel the pain, but dont think I would trade less cleaning for less space. It seems like the average American agrees because the average house built in 2023 was about 240 sqm. If people prefer smaller houses, it is surprising that someone doesnt built smaller and sell it for more.
  - ahepp 3y ago
    Probably, but it seems meaningless to discuss preference without discussing cost and scarcity.
    - s1artibartfast 3y ago
      Why do you think it is meaningless? I think the question of if and which people prefer dense urban living is an interesting question by itself, even if you set aside cost and scarcity. It also seems that understanding the preference in isolation is fundamental to understanding any system that includes cost and scarcity. for example, difference in preference can drive cost differences. For example, Fillet minion and cow hoofs are more scarce than flank steak, but one sells for more and the other for less due to preference.
  - k8svet 3y ago
    My parents own a gorgeous, huge custom home. It's in the middle of nowhere in Kansas. They have no community. They're in abject low grade depression except for the weeks bookending when they travel. My dad's losing it mentally, and they just languish there. They love visiting me when I travel. They whine there's nothing to do, no food, no culture near them. They're too cheap to heat or cool the place and again, Kansas, so it's straight up miserable 8 months of the year. It takes an army to clean it. My dad "loves" mowing 7 acres but I know he just views it as a task to get done. Idk, the older I get the more I realize most people have never seriously sat down and tried to elavulate what they really want, versus what they think they want based on someone else's measure of success.
jimberlage 3y ago
I live in a place like this with multiple kids in my 30s, and it’s fantastic.

This reads like designing a city for 20-something singles whose highest priorities are nightlife and dining. What about the rest of us?

by refurb 3y ago

This reads like designing a city for 20-something singles whose highest priorities are nightlife and dining. What about the rest of us?

nox101 3y ago

I'm pretty sure much of the world disagrees with that assessment. Lots 30s and 40 somethings with children and lots of older people living in walkable cities. The problem in the USA is that there's very little of this style of living. It's all tract housing and suburban style apartment complexes and almost no walkable cities. I'd be nice to have more of them since we already have plenty of suburbs and traffic.

refurb 3y ago
For a lot of the world that’s the only affordable housing. Single family homes are just out of reach financially. I know in Asian, many (but not all) of the people I know in apartments would love a house but can’t afford it.
- ryandrake 3y ago
  I agree. Different people like different environments and living arrangements. One size does not fit all. Personally, I like suburban single family home living, and I would never go back to dense urban apartment living unless I was forced to at gunpoint. Options are good.
  - sagarm 3y ago
    And yet it's not possible to build new walkable communities, despite the high price of existing ones indicating there's plenty of demand.

fmobus 3y ago

Plenty of happy families in my building here in Germany, judging by how active kids are in the playground. Heck, we even have a kindergarten right next to the building, schools within walking distance (and kids actually walk to them - alone), three different groceries within 5 minutes, not a single surface parking lot in sight.

s1artibartfast 3y ago
I think the question that was raised is one of preference. How many of them would keep their 80 m^2 urban flat if offered a 250 m^2 suburban detached home? Humans are incredibly adaptive and resilient. I have met happy families living in a garbage dump.
- fmobus 3y ago
  I can extrapolate how much work is involved in keeping a 250sqm house clean, so I would decline the offer unless it came with magical cleaning dwarves.
  - s1artibartfast 3y ago
    As someone with a large house, I certainly feel the pain, but dont think I would trade less cleaning for less space. It seems like the average American agrees because the average house built in 2023 was about 240 sqm. If people prefer smaller houses, it is surprising that someone doesnt built smaller and sell it for more.
- ahepp 3y ago
  Probably, but it seems meaningless to discuss preference without discussing cost and scarcity.
  - s1artibartfast 3y ago
    Why do you think it is meaningless? I think the question of if and which people prefer dense urban living is an interesting question by itself, even if you set aside cost and scarcity. It also seems that understanding the preference in isolation is fundamental to understanding any system that includes cost and scarcity. for example, difference in preference can drive cost differences. For example, Fillet minion and cow hoofs are more scarce than flank steak, but one sells for more and the other for less due to preference.
- k8svet 3y ago
  My parents own a gorgeous, huge custom home. It's in the middle of nowhere in Kansas. They have no community. They're in abject low grade depression except for the weeks bookending when they travel. My dad's losing it mentally, and they just languish there. They love visiting me when I travel. They whine there's nothing to do, no food, no culture near them. They're too cheap to heat or cool the place and again, Kansas, so it's straight up miserable 8 months of the year. It takes an army to clean it. My dad "loves" mowing 7 acres but I know he just views it as a task to get done. Idk, the older I get the more I realize most people have never seriously sat down and tried to elavulate what they really want, versus what they think they want based on someone else's measure of success.

jimberlage 3y ago

I live in a place like this with multiple kids in my 30s, and it’s fantastic.