Not everyone likes to share a wall. I'm glad there are options, since I'm one of them. I can walk from my single family home to nearby community centers, restaurants, kitchens, theaters, and bars in 15 minutes. Not everyone likes to be that close to that stuff, and that's okay. I'm glad we have options, since I'm not one of them. There's plenty of space to build new homes of all types. It's an entitlement crisis.
> There's plenty of space to build new homes of all types.
Unfortunately this is not the case in North America. Very little land is zoned to allow such communities. Those areas that are have become so insanely expensive only the extremely wealthy can afford to live in them.
Very little land...in all... of North America. That's a big place for such a tight summary lol.
The communities,, space, and zoning are out there, but often many facing the housing issues just aren't willing to move. There's more to it than this obviously, but for every person slamming their lifestyle and expenses against the wall in a trendy area, there are others picking up and moving to Philly, St. Louis, Lexington, etc.
> Very little land...in all... of North America. That's a big place for such a tight summary lol.
The problem is it's de facto illegal to actually build anything in city centres in North America, because of postwar zoning laws (it only takes 1 NIMBY to block any development, so it's not literally illegal but it might as well be). So even if you start your own new city in the middle of the empty desert, as soon as a hundred people move there you can't build anything anymore. That's why the only cities in NA are the ones that were built pre-1940, and as demand grows while supply stays fixed, they just get more and more expensive.
Every time I see a giant timber framed apartment building being constructed I'm exceptionally glad that I don't have to consider living inside of it. It's fine for your early 30s, but if you hope to be part of the "professional class" then that form of living takes it's toll exceptionally quickly.
American multi-family dwellings are constructed so poorly compared to other countries. You should not be able to hear your neighbors in a modern apartment building or hotel. Unfortunately since building permits and zoning restrictions are so tight, many MFD owning/renting Americans are living in buildings that are over 50 years old.
The only apartment that I lived in and would consider moving back to was a 1940s constructed "solid" concrete apartment building in northern Minnesota. That thing was built to a standard that is rarely used anymore. The only thing you heard was people walking past your door.
In major cities filled with the professional class - the wealthiest communities in the US, such NY, LA, and the Bay Area, lots of them live in apartments.
Perhaps this dates me.. but for me and my industry, there was a standing expectation that you would stay late and work as hard as necessary to get the job done. Thankfully, labor laws in California have changed since then, but during that time, it was an exceptionally draining experience trying to "climb the ladder," and not being able to come home and experience any sort of solace was soul crushing to me. It literally became my only motivation for a year and half was to get out of that environment to somewhere I could have space and peace and quiet with zero expectations of intrusions or interruptions.
I don't think they have ever lived in such a structure. They are probably talking about living in a two story light timber frame apartment from the 70s/80s. The walls are paper thin and you can wake up your neighbor walking in slippers to get a drink of water.
