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> You increasingly see things like 3 (or more) roommates sharing a three bedroom apartment designed with the nuclear family in mind. I'm a student in New Zeala

> You increasingly see things like 3 (or more) roommates sharing a three bedroom apartment designed with the nuclear family in mind. I'm a student in New Zealand, and almost all students here have that sort of accommodation (we call them 'flats'). I actually really enjoy this arrangement, and would go as far as to say that it's close to the optimal living arrangement for unmarried people. You get all the benefits of friendship and community (almost a pseudo-family), while also paying less for rent, utilities, and food. However, your post was phrased in a way that implied that this was a sub-optimal solution. Could you expand on your reasoning? To be clear, I'm not trying to say that you're wrong; your post was insightful so I assume you've got good reasons for feeling the way you do.

jmadsen 13y ago
For students, this is nice. However, in many US cities, adults with jobs who would like to have their own lifestyle are often forced to live this way because of pricing and availability.
- snogglethorpe 13y ago
  Shared housing/flats works fine for many adults with jobs who "would like to have their own lifestyle." There are benefits and drawbacks to it, just like anything else. It's not for everybody, but it also doesn't make any sense to arbitrarily dismiss it as being "unsuitable for adults" as often seems to happen in this sort of discussion...
Mz 13y ago
However, your post was phrased in a way that implied that this was a sub-optimal solution. Could you expand on your reasoning? What works in other countries does not necessarily work in the U.S. We tend to have low population density and, as a culture, much more strongly value our independence. Just one concrete example: A three bedroom apartment may come with one or two assigned parking spaces. If three unrelated adults live there and each has their own car, at least one of them will have to routinely park in "guest" parking. Further, in some places, it is quite hard to arrange this at all. The leases are generally intended for a family, subletting may not be acceptable, etc. In many other countries, living without a car, walking and using public transit, etc. are far more feasible. There are other issues, I am just trying to come up with something concrete to give as an example of why this does not readily translate from your country to mine. They don't have the same infrastructure, culture, etc. So the same living arrangement in two different places is not necessarily equal in quality of life.
- chad_oliver 13y ago
  Thanks for your reply; that makes a lot of sense. However (just because I found it mildly amusing), you may be interested to know that the United State's population density is actually twice as large as that of New Zealand! In fact, New Zealand's population density is approximately equivalent to that of the U.K and Japan in 500 A.D.
  - Mz 13y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_New_Zealand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_New_Zealand The demographics of New Zealand encompass the gender, ethnic, religious, geographic, and economic backgrounds of the 4.4 million people living in New Zealand. New Zealanders, informally known as "Kiwis", predominantly live in urban areas on the North Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population_density http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_populati... A little googling suggests that most kiwis live in relatively dense urban areas. I find your wording confusing and perhaps we mean two different things but my general impression is that cities in New Zealand are generally more "urban" than where most Americans live.
    - chad_oliver 13y ago
      Good point. I was just going off wolfram alpha's figures for average population density of both countries.

jmadsen 13y ago

For students, this is nice. However, in many US cities, adults with jobs who would like to have their own lifestyle are often forced to live this way because of pricing and availability.

snogglethorpe 13y ago
Shared housing/flats works fine for many adults with jobs who "would like to have their own lifestyle." There are benefits and drawbacks to it, just like anything else. It's not for everybody, but it also doesn't make any sense to arbitrarily dismiss it as being "unsuitable for adults" as often seems to happen in this sort of discussion...

Mz 13y ago

However, your post was phrased in a way that implied that this was a sub-optimal solution. Could you expand on your reasoning? What works in other countries does not necessarily work in the U.S. We tend to have low population density and, as a culture, much more strongly value our independence. Just one concrete example: A three bedroom apartment may come with one or two assigned parking spaces. If three unrelated adults live there and each has their own car, at least one of them will have to routinely park in "guest" parking. Further, in some places, it is quite hard to arrange this at all. The leases are generally intended for a family, subletting may not be acceptable, etc. In many other countries, living without a car, walking and using public transit, etc. are far more feasible. There are other issues, I am just trying to come up with something concrete to give as an example of why this does not readily translate from your country to mine. They don't have the same infrastructure, culture, etc. So the same living arrangement in two different places is not necessarily equal in quality of life.

chad_oliver 13y ago
Thanks for your reply; that makes a lot of sense. However (just because I found it mildly amusing), you may be interested to know that the United State's population density is actually twice as large as that of New Zealand! In fact, New Zealand's population density is approximately equivalent to that of the U.K and Japan in 500 A.D.
- Mz 13y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_New_Zealand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_New_Zealand The demographics of New Zealand encompass the gender, ethnic, religious, geographic, and economic backgrounds of the 4.4 million people living in New Zealand. New Zealanders, informally known as "Kiwis", predominantly live in urban areas on the North Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population_density http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_populati... A little googling suggests that most kiwis live in relatively dense urban areas. I find your wording confusing and perhaps we mean two different things but my general impression is that cities in New Zealand are generally more "urban" than where most Americans live.
  - chad_oliver 13y ago
    Good point. I was just going off wolfram alpha's figures for average population density of both countries.