A homestead is a house and surrounding land owned by a family, often including a farmhouse. Most people have homes, but not everyone has a homestead. A builder buys large tracts of vacant land, splits them into smaller parcels, and builds identical communities of single-family ranch-style homes surrounding a home. The term curtilage refers to the immediate land and buildings that surround a home, such as a shed or barn.
Under the Fourth Amendment, individuals are protected from unreasonable searches of their homes and property, including the curtilage of their homes, in the absence of a search warrant or application of a recognized law. When you own a home, you have the right to control what happens in your house and on the surrounding land, but only within the scope of the law.
In America, single-family zoning is practically gospel, embraced by homeowners and local governments to protect neighborhoods of tidy houses from denser development. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a density of human structures, such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, and railways.
The idea of home is evanescent, and for over one million households that faced evictions last year, the idea of home is evanescent. Montgomery Place, now Bard College: The Montgomery Place Campus, near Barrytown, New York, United States, is an early 19th-century estate designated a National Historic Landmark.
A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling, single-family residence (SFR), or separate house, is a free-standing residential building. It depends on your local zoning laws.
Compassion works to explore different types of houses around the world, and the Take a Family on the Land Program is designed to offset the costs associated with on-the-land activities.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Could I legally purchase the land surrounding someone’s … | It depends on your local zoning laws. It’s theoretically possible, people have done similar things in the past, such as building massive walls around a … | reddit.com |
| The family home in South African townships is contested | Maxim Bolt explores the complexities surrounding inheritance of ‘family homes‘ in South African townships and calls for legal recognition of … | qeh.ox.ac.uk |
| Which detail of the Compson home and surrounding lands … | Which detail of the Compson home and surrounding lands becomes symbolic throughout the novel The Sound and the Fury?A. the golf course | brainly.com |
📹 Why the dream of a single family home is a nightmare
Single family homes are expensive, carbon-intensive, and frankly a waste of space. With urban planning having its roots set in …
Is Homesteading Illegal In The US?
Between 1862 and 1934, the U. S. federal government issued 1. 6 million homesteads and distributed 270 million acres of land, representing 10% of the total U. S. land. Homesteading ended federally in 1976, except in Alaska, where it continued until 1986. The Homestead Act enabled individuals to claim up to 160 acres of undeveloped land outside the original 13 colonies, requiring specific criteria for applicants. While homesteading is not illegal, it involves significant legal complexities, including zoning laws and building codes that vary by location.
Most states have homestead protection laws to shield property owners from creditors and provide tax exemptions, primarily benefiting low-income individuals. Squatting, where someone occupies land without ownership, has historical roots in U. S. settlement patterns. Although homesteading without zoning restrictions is possible, permits are required for construction or significant changes to structures. The Homesteading Act allowed those over 21 or heads of households to claim land.
Currently, while the act is obsolete, many states offer modern homesteading initiatives, aiming to enhance population growth. States differ widely in homestead laws, influencing how and where one can homestead, with Tennessee often cited as an ideal location. Overall, a legal framework exists to support modern homesteaders amid varying regulations.
What Is A Homesteader?
Homesteading refers to a lifestyle of self-sufficiency traditionally marked by subsistence agriculture, where individuals or families settle on land provided by the government, particularly during the 1800s in the western U. S. Homesteaders grow their own crops, preserve food, and may also produce textiles and crafts for personal use or sale. The term encompasses anyone who lives frugally or self-sufficiently on a homestead, with a commitment to sustainable living.
A homesteader is defined as someone who occupies land under homestead law, contributing to a community focused on self-reliance, sustainability, and connection to nature. This lifestyle can be adapted to various environments, be it urban or rural and emphasizes the responsibility for food provision, possibly through growing vegetables, raising livestock, or utilizing renewable energy sources. Homesteading promotes the principles of reducing waste and enhancing personal stewardship of land.
It can range from completely self-sufficient farms to individuals wishing to cultivate their own food within suburban settings. Ultimately, it is a rich spectrum of practices anchored in the pursuit of independence and resourcefulness, allowing individuals to engage deeply with their environment and community while fulfilling their basic needs.
Is Curtilage A Part Of The Home?
Curtilage refers to the area immediately surrounding and associated with a home, deemed "part of the home itself" for Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches. Historically, the term has roots in Middle English and designates the enclosed spaces—such as yards, porches, driveways, and sheds—that reside near a dwelling. Under legal definitions, curtilage encompasses land where occupants maintain a reasonable, albeit diminished, expectation of privacy from government intrusion.
It is crucial for determining the applicability of privacy laws, distinguishing these enclosed areas from open fields, which lack such protections. The U. S. Supreme Court has recognized curtilage in various rulings, affirming that it includes areas like driveways, as seen in United States v. Dunn (1987). Common law supports this view, defining curtilage as land closely associated with a dwelling, inclusive of any nearby structures.
Thus, curtilage plays a vital role in personal privacy rights, indicating that individuals are secure in their homes and the areas immediately surrounding them, shielded from unwarranted governmental searches and seizures.
What Is A Country Estate?
A country estate, as described by Wiki, refers to a significant property that includes not only a residence, such as a country house or mansion but also encompasses surrounding houses, outbuildings, farmland, woods, and gardens. Traditionally in the UK, estates might also consist of tenanted buildings and natural resources. These estates serve both productive and recreational purposes, providing a retreat from urban life. The country's architectural history reflects evolution from fortified castles to the more open and sophisticated country homes that gained prominence during the Tudor period.
Contemporary country houses showcase modern designs that favor simplicity over ornate decorations. The recent surge in interest for estates, exemplified by high-profile sales like Shakenhurst, points to a cultural fascination with these properties. A country estate thus embodies a significant area of land, often used for agriculture or leisure, and signifies an individual or organization’s connection to the countryside.
Ultimately, a country estate serves as a blend of domestic architecture and expansive landscapes, evoking images of luxury, historical significance, and social gatherings amidst serene rural settings.
What Is The Land Around Your House Called?
A yard refers to land adjacent to buildings, which can be enclosed or open. Its etymology relates to "garden," sharing similar meanings. In legal terms, "curtilage" describes the land surrounding a dwelling, including its associated structures, but excluding fields beyond. Historically, castles were protected by walls, with the enclosed land termed curtilage, derived from the Old French "cortil," meaning "walled garden." Typically, homeowners own the land beneath and around their homes, following the principle that ownership extends vertically.
This land can be referred to as "floor space" for the land and "plinth area" for buildings. Large estates may use the term "grounds," while typical homeowners generally don’t refer to their yards that way. Properties with expansive land include various types, such as villas, defined as large homes in scenic locales. In the U. S., suburban land typically spans 0. 2 to 0. 5 acres. Legal language includes terms like "messuage," indicating the house and its associated land.
Land use encompasses agricultural, commercial, recreational, residential, and transport purposes. Curtilage specifically denotes the enclosed land surrounding a building. Various terms differentiate property types, influenced by local laws. Overall, real property comprises land and permanently attached structures, with owners enjoying full ownership rights.
Can You Still Claim Free Land In The United States?
Currently, the federal government does not offer free homesteading land, but many cities and small towns in the U. S. have adopted similar incentives to attract residents and businesses, especially in economically challenged areas. As of 2023, there are only five states where free rural land is still available, with programs managed at the municipal or county level—no state-run initiatives exist. Prospective homesteaders can find free land in towns such as Marquette and Lincoln in Kansas and Flagler, Colorado. To qualify, you typically must commit to building on the land.
While the original Homestead Act is no longer applicable, a number of towns offer programs that make land acquisition feasible for new residents. It's essential to understand the requirements associated with these offers, which may include construction timelines or land usage stipulations. Although the landscape of free land options has changed since the days of the federal homesteading policies, there are still opportunities for individuals looking to relocate and settle in less populated areas.
For those interested, it’s advisable to research and follow specific steps to find and apply for such programs. Communities offering free land have emerged as a viable option for those hoping to start anew on a modest budget, allowing for the potential of a sustainable lifestyle while contributing to local revitalization efforts.
What Is A Homesteading Family?
Homesteading embodies a self-sufficient lifestyle centered on subsistence agriculture, food preservation, and small-scale production of textiles and crafts for home use or sale. Families, like Josh and Carolyn from The Homesteading Family, embrace this lifestyle in North Idaho with their eleven children, focusing on independence and resourcefulness. This way of life revolves around owning land and meeting personal needs through growing vegetables, raising livestock, and producing energy.
It fosters responsibility and community, as family members work together to sustain their household. A homestead typically refers to a dwelling with land occupied by its owner, differing in definition from state to state. Modern homesteading can adapt to various settings, whether urban or rural, and encourages individuals and families to cultivate self-reliance. The spirit of homesteading is rooted in hard work and dedication, offering practical guidance on thriving through growing, preserving, and living sustainably. This lifestyle, well illustrated by the Homesteading Family, aims to promote health, security, and a simpler, fulfilling way of life.
Where Are Sheltered Villas Built?
The Sheltered Villas, designed by A and M Architects in Karpathos, Greece, consists of three villas built partially underground on a sloped 12, 000 sqm site. The structure integrates with its natural surroundings, featuring clean, linear architecture characterized by stark white walls and minimal black accents that contrast with the terrain's textures. The villas are arranged linearly along a 23-degree slope, emerging humbly from the landscape.
This design exemplifies earth-sheltered homes, which are distinguished by either subterranean construction or placement within slopes, offering benefits such as enhanced energy efficiency and environmental harmony.
The project not only reflects local architectural traditions but also prioritizes sustainability and resilience against natural elements. Overall, the Sheltered Villas embrace a modern aesthetic while honoring the historical context of earth-sheltered architecture. The construction began in 2022, with a gross built area of approximately 12, 080 sqm, aiming to provide a harmonious blend of indoor and outdoor living experiences in this secluded area outside Menetes village.
What Is A Homesteading Lifestyle?
Homesteading is a lifestyle aimed at self-sufficiency, where individuals seek to step away from consumerism to lead simpler, sustainable lives. Homesteaders often produce their own food through activities like farming, fishing, hunting, or foraging. This lifestyle emphasizes subsistence agriculture, food preservation, and may include small-scale production of textiles or crafts. Key aspects of homesteading involve creating energy, conserving resources, and raising animals for milk, meat, and honey.
It focuses on living independently and harmoniously with the land, allowing individuals to grow their own vegetables, fruits, and raise livestock. Modern homesteading can vary widely, adapting to personal needs and local resources, and can even be practiced in urban settings. Ultimately, it revolves around resourcefulness and a lifestyle free from industrial dependence, promoting a self-sufficient approach that includes generating electricity from renewable sources, cooking, preserving food, and engaging in various sustainable practices.
As more people are drawn to this way of life, they embrace the combination of simplicity and the empowerment that comes from being more connected to their resources and the land. Homesteading has thus become a fulfilling choice for many seeking greater independence and sustainability.
📹 Her family farms flowers. Her flower pot home is coziness masterclass
Whitney Hansen and her mother Krista turned an unconventional idea into reality: a 24-foot-tall flower pot-shaped house on their …
I live in what the Soviets might have called a Krushovka – a low-rise walk up apartment building – and I absolutely love it. In Australia, there is a dread and revulsion for anything that isn’t pure suburban car-centric, but as someone who can’t drive for medical reasons, living in a cheap unit close to the city is heavenly. I ride my bike to work, walk to get groceries, and pay less rent because units are less desirable. The building is surrounded by a garden with plenty of birds and flowers, and I have a tiny balcony where I have a potted vegie garden and watch beautiful sunsets every day. My family would never ever live the way I do, but even they admit that I live incredibly happy and comfy in this style of housing.
I’m cool with more density for all the reasons stated in this article. But there is one big problem with it and that’s what makes me prefer living in a detached house in the suburbs. Noise. Most apartments(at least in the US which is all I can speak for) have thin walls and ceilings. So I have to constantly hear people’s feet walking over my head, or hear people’s loud TVs coming through the wall. Where I live now I can just open my windows and listen to crickets chirping at night and that’s it. I’d gladly live in a walkable area in a condo or apartment if they figure out a way to soundproof it.
I think we should also talk about the quality of housing. For example, privacy and new ways of behaviors. Many people want single house just to get rid of the neighbours noice. Buildings are build poorly without proper sound insulation between units and non existing insulation inside units. Also we became louder, everyone needs home cinema and huge stereo eventhough it is to big and loud for the space. I think people would not care that much about size of their living space as long as it is quality one with access to quality and affordable services. Plus surrounding greenery can make places super attractive.
The problem in the US is that renting an apartment, the vast majority of housing within cities, absolutely sucks. You pay pretty much the same monthly as a mortgage for housing and get nothing in return when you move out. That money is gone. Plus you can’t make any modifications that your landlord doesn’t approve. When you purchase your own home it becomes an investment. Almost always improving in value over time as you make updates. And at the end when you move out you will likely end up with profit in your pocket. If you could purchase apartments the same way you can a house then it would be a different story.
I agree with this article, but I just moved out of a multi-family building and into a single-family house. The reason for my move was a dispute with the strata council that had turned toxic. I’m reluctant to ever live in a multi-family building again! Unfortunately my energy use will certainly go up and I’m having to spend to furnish my new home. Who your neighbours are really matters, and that’s something that’s difficult to control.
I live in a coop building. I love living in apartments. What I don’t like is how cheap the material many of the new buildings use. My coop building is almost a century old and the insulation is great as well as the sound reduction inside and between apartments. The building my mother lives in is not even a decade old and the walls are paper thin and the winters are cold af if you don’t constantly have the heat on.
I totally agree with the issue with single family homes. But I live in an apartment building and you don’t know the amounts of times I was intrupted of my work or life because of an upstair neighbor’s pipe burst issue. Or when someone new moves in and wants to connect to internet and the tech guy literally unplugs my internet connection for hours then forgets to fix it after his job is done. Living in an apartment building as better as it sounds for the environment it is also equally terrible for person life. And I don’t think there is a solution for that I don’t think anyone can guarantee me that I will have perfect neighbors or people will learn to live in harmony. So my focus is to be able to afford a single family home and move there. Preferably, close to a market or shoping center so I can ride a bike to there. But I will ride my car to my job. If I’m guilty for that then what about super rich people with private planes and car collections. NOT TO EVEN MENTION THEIR HOUSEHOLDS. I’m done chewing on paper trying to drink my coffee of a plastic cup. We’re always focusing on the wrong issues. Thank you for the article its well done.
In the US one of the underlying problems is the very strict zoning and that almost all new residential areas are exclusively zoned for single family homes. British and Dutch style row houses provide a good alternative. You still have many of the benefits of a single family home, but the density is high enough to justify local amenities and public transport.
One thing mentioned in the article is making more townhomes, because those will often be cheaper to buy. I live in Pittsburgh, and developers have been building townhomes all over the city. They are going for anywhere between $700k to $1.5 million, which is nowhere near affordable for most lifelong Pittsburghers. Almost all of the suburbs here are filled with single family homes, and are not very pedestrian friendly. Unless you have a car in the suburbs, you’re not getting around.
I would never compare Croatian or Jakartian single family homes with US ones. Those in Croatia are dense, narrow, stone, multistorey city houses separated by 1m of free space from one another. Free space is good for cooling and saves energy. The US single family houses are huge mansions, saparated by 10m of lawn around it with no purpose, houses made of wood, that would decay in 30 years and needs to be rebuilt all over again.
5:06 I’m in an area of LA which used to be spacious suburbs but is steadily densifying. Because of this, I often see people online complaining about how “crowded” it feels. But I always respond the same way: it doesn’t feel crowded when you’re walking around on the sidewalk in the main shopping center…it only feels crowded when you’re stuck in a traffic jam and trying to get to the shopping center’s parking garage. People don’t take up much space; cars do. P.S. for any LA people out there: CicLAvia is this Sunday. Come out, bring your bike (or rent one), and experience what a neighborhood without cars could feel like!
I still want a single family home with a nice yard.I currently live in a apartment and I paying rent for something I don’t own,two I can hear my neighbors and their annoying music,three the apartment owners can have check ins to my apartment at anytime,four I have to fight for parking in a crowded parking lot and 5 I am disabled and I need a place fixed to my needs.
I wanted to build a tiny house on a trailer in my own driveway of small single family house. For that house, I pay property taxes, insurance, and mortgage. But city hall says that I am not allowed to do that. Apparently I live in a large town, small city, that has little or no imagination. I feel its very unfortunate that although I pay to live, I cannot do what I want on my own property, given that what I want would not hurt anyone. Its very unfair.
A single family home is the only type of housing I am interested in. I don’t want to live in a high-density nightmare surrounded by people. I don’t want to share walls with neighbors whom I have no choice in selecting. To each their own, of course, but no thanks… I’ll stick to my single family home and car in a rural area with my nearest neighbor many miles away.
I would love to see more “missing middle” housing. I currently live in a single-family in the suburbs. Many people don’t know or talk to their neighbors. I noticed during the pandemic, that with people walking out on the street, we met more people in the neighborhood than we did the past 25 years we lived in this house. Also we were playing, biking, walking, running in the street more and there was an actual community feel. Moreover, our house (built in late 70s) has a lot of costs, needs a new roof, yard maintenance, pool maintenance, etc. Our old neighbors moved into a condo because of the cost to maintain their house. I also learned another neighbor, who are original owners of 45 years, are still paying off their mortgage because of the loans they took out on their house to maintain their property. A single-family detached house is not appealing to me at all. The market for missing middle housing is vastly underserved. Living options can’t just be single-family or superdense cities. It’s a huge detriment to the country that missing middle housing is illegal in most places.
I grew up in houses and lived in a few apartments in my early 20s. The space wasn’t an issue, but the arguing neighbors, loud music, and booming bass from cars sitting outside my window/ neighbors playing music above me gave me frequent panic attacks . The booming sounds that I couldn’t get away from or drown out with headphones were too much for me as an anxious person.
The thing you should have emphasized is that, even though high density housing is not for everyone, there should be freedom and availability to choose where you would want to live, you want a house with a front/backyard; you’re welcome to it but don’t prohibit people to build different in the neighborhood, if there is demand. Also, you can’t expect the utilities offered would be the same in an exurb environment than inside a city.
I love living in my apartment building – my neighbours are rarely so loud that I am annoyed by noise (the noise from cars on the street is far worse), it’s a mid-rise building of only five floors, I have 750 square feet of space with huge windows, I have rent control, and I appreciate that I don’t have to be in debt for decades to live here. Apartment living isn’t always perfect, but the alternative isn’t to promote single-family dwellings, as some people in the comments here seem to thin – the solution is to improve apartments, and provide more options for people.
No home being built today (whether an apartment, townhouse, duplex or single family) needs to be larger than 1500 SF. It’s just unnecessary to make it larger. I grew up in a home of 900 SF with my parents and 3 siblings. Although, we also had an unfinished basement, which afforded us laundry space, extra storage, and a place for us kids to roller skate in winter.
The solution should be democratized reforestation and asphalt to gravel un-development. It suburban lawns were replaced with native wildflower meadows, permeable pavement and more native trees, then connected into the city with light impact roads and traveled on by electric powered cars, it would go a long way to bringing back space for nature AND preserving the land from agricultural use which promotes monocultures. A suburban neighborhood can support a LOT of plant and animal diversity if we renautralise it. Not to mention, native landscaping is gorgeous and cheap to maintain. The only downside I see is that there will still be traffic and freeways but this can be tackled by promoting autonomous vehicles that can be shared instead of each house having one taking up space and resources. Also, implement new urbanist principles of mixed use so that an individuals doesn’t have to drive more than a few miles to get basic things, and if we are lucky, they may even choose to walk, or take a light impact vehicles such as a golf cart or bicycle. Also, allow homeowners to subdivide their homes into more than one unit so they can sell half of the property or turn it into a rental. We are not going to get ride of suburbia but we can make it much better.
This is one of the biggest benefits of historic structures. Even in nations like the US and Canada, neighborhoods were designed to be walkable before the advent of cars. Preserving the historic buildings that comprise these neighborhoods not only preserves walkable spaces, but also reduces the carbon emissions needed to gather materials for a new building. Historic structures can also be renovated into affordable housing units as well.
The longer people keep demonizing veichules and privacy, the harder it will get to win the majority of the population for environmental issues. We should focus on solutions: city planing focusing on cycling, promote eletric scooters, create infrastructure for electric vehicles, promote better insulation and higher quality materials and promote homework to avoid unecessary commutes. Trying to convice people that owning a cubicle inside a noisy city and and that travelling in 3 different jampacked metros, trains and bus is better that leaving your front door, enter your vehicle and drive to where you want to go is proving inneficient.
I like DW production as always. However, the low level mistake shouldn’t be done for a such big team. At 9:23 that place is not in Singapore. It is Malaysia which also a British colony before gaining Independent with Singapore. That place is known by “Dataran Merdeka” which can be translate into “Independent Square”, you would know how big a mistake you make.
The UK has a lot of the mixed housing in terraced homes and townhouses, but it’s almost completely missing the high density apartments in city centres. It’s another horrible extreme, which makes city commuting almost unmanageable, just look at the sprawl of London, it’s an absolute nightmare to go from one end to the other even using the tube. It’s all because of poor planning and keeping antiquated feudal laws about leaseholding apartments, making it undesirable to build or buy leaseholds due to astronomical costs. Basically those laws mean that almost no one who buys an apartment fully owns it, instead buys a lease from the building owner to use that apartment as their own, but must pay ground rent and exorbitant extensions to the lease. The whole system is a major scam, plus the UK is desperately short of housing. It’s all down to big property owner politicians making the rules to favour themselves and their mates screwing everyone else over. Policy changes are desperately needed here for housing as well!
I think there is a factor you aren’t calculating regarding Croatia and anywhere in the Balkans. For us in this side of the world it is a lot about surviving, to live in one family homes. We live above a ground geologically active where powerful earthquakes happen. We saw what happened in Turkey with badly built buildings, we saw in Italy with old buildings. Even if we build well, how many quakes can they withstand. After a 6.4 we were super scared to get on our apartment on the seventh floor. We live terrified always waiting for the next shake. Useless to say that i will buy a small one family house as soon as I’m done paying the loan. I guess a journalist in Germany cannot comprehend what is like to live above unstable ground.
I love living in an apartment in an European city. Freedom and car independence for us and our children. We used to live in the US for 1,5 years in a house and I hated it – so isolated, have to drive everywhere, really lonely and boring although I had some friends, but I really missed living in a city and couldn’t wait to go back to my homeland. In my childhood back home we lived in a 9-storey apartment building and the only sound I can remember from neighbours is some far away piano. Really calming memories. I loved living in a city as a child – total freedom- going by foot to school, then walks with friends, buying groceries on your way home. And I love living in an apartment in an European city now – again total freedom, everything reachable by foot. And we don’t hear any neighbours except again for someone playing piano sometimes – beautiful! ❤
Similar zoning issues exist in Australian suburbs around major city centres. The older suburbs have evolved and most have mixed use with nearby shops and transport. I live in a detached single family house that is close to amenities, schools, child care and public transport. It’s the new suburbs that are being built now that suffer from urban sprawl.
9:30 Hell no! For some that is a dystopian packed high rise. I just sometimes visit the concrete jungle. I hate it. Ive lived urban, suburb, semi-rural, and rural. Suburbs and semi-rural are great. Not too close to everyone else. Rural is like being in your own world. People need to cool it on the parasitic expansion. Less is more.
I actually never lived in a single house (other than our summer place.) But I don’t think it is a wrong concept but rather how we construct the houses and build infrastructure is the problem. We going going towards a crazy mobility age (home-office, home-schooling, drone deliveries, etc.) It is impossible reverse that trend. So I think this beautiful piece has to be re recorded with a slightly adjusted message. On the other-side, I think living on 19th floor(as we used to live) is actually against human nature. Covid really gave us a good lesson there.
One big deterent to town homes and condos are the HOAs (Home Owner Association), and the maintenance fees. This is something you own and you don’t want rules and regulations to interfere with certain things you decide to do with your property. We do need laws and building regulations to help create and keep respect for neighbourhoods. The HOAs I have heard about, can be a nightmare of rules and God forbid you take a stand and NOTpay fees, etcetera….you could find the Association owning your home from winning in court over unpaid fees and fines accumulation and your ‘anti social’ behavior. You would be evicted from your home
Zoning laws in Brazil are very different… if it is not a gated comunity, you can build any type of building in your lot (the only restrictions are height and industries)… my neighborhood, for example, it was a suburb built in 1982-85, and in the begining only had single family houses, a middle/high public school, and a pedestrian mall at the center, but in the 90’s you could find all kinds of shops, low apartment buildings (four floors maximum), doctors offices etc etc… in the 2000’s the zoning law was changed and tall apartment buildings started to appear… nowadays you almost don’t need to leave the neighborhood… groceries, drugstores, bakeries, banks, schools, reastaurants all in walking distance or a short biking (it’s a big neighborhood)
No thanks, I’m happy in my single family home, no way I’d give up my house for a high-rise. Humans were never meant to live in such overcrowded conditions and the urban lifestyle is very constraining. I enjoy visiting cities like NYC as much as the next person but it’s only enjoyable in moderation. We can solve the environmental impact of suburban living with more efficient transportation and cleaner energy production. I think it’s also worth considering the impact urban living has had on birth rates. It has encouraged the collapse of the birth rate in many countries such as South Korea and Japan, this poses a serious risk to their future.
Apartments are great for the environment so I guess that makes me feel better about having little privacy, lots of noise from neighbours, running into neighbors in the shared back patio when I just want to drink some tea and let my mind unwind, and the difficulty of getting anything done through the HOA. I bought in 2009 when I was single and saw it as a place to live for 5-6 years. The mortgage is so budget friendly I can’t see moving into a million dollar single family home in the same neighborhood and tripling or quadrupling my housing expense, though a wife, child and 2 dogs later it is tempting! A few of my friends have moved to Sacramento for their dream house but STILL commute daily to the SF Bay Area, but as this article says there is the phenomenon of the missing middle so if you want desirable middle income housing good luck finding it!
The problem is that apartment living comes with lots of frustration with loud, messy neighbors that can interfere with sleep or hygiene in the building. Then there is the never ending rent increases. So many greedy corporations and investors push for the highest rent increases each year. Renting used to more more affordable than owning, now that’s usually not the case. If you have your own house it’s a known payment into the future, and eventually you will have it paid off. Rent is FOREVER!
I’m a single person, who wants to buy home for seemingly superficial reason. Where I live most apartments don’t allow pets if they do it’s a extra fee in the hundreds. It snows here and I’d love somewhere to put my car when it snows, also I really want access to a yard to grow some vegetables and fruits, we don’t have public gardening spaces really in America unless you own the land. I can also barely even decorate anything, can’t paint walls, I currently can’t even put a nail in the wall to hold a clock, just command strips and thanks to this high gloss paint it falls off the wall periodically. I just want my own little space and would be content with a tiny home, but thanks to building restrictions, and forced utilities for some land plots I can’t do that unless I know someone who would let me put it on their land
The problem of single-family home is its long-term sustainability. A city would not be able to keep a healthy enough income for such a low-density suburb to maintain the roads and infrastructure. The problems will show after a few decades and are seen in many cities in America. You lose the economy of scale with single-family homes. No public utility, transportation or investment would make any sense with it. You need a well-designed block of self-sufficient walkable neighborhood without relying on cars for a neighborhood to last a long time.
Here in Brazil the contemporary houses is with a big wall and gate that excludes all the connection of the yard with the street, creating dead sidewalks without eyes on the street. I live in a 80s single family home near by the downtown. Condominiums with single family homes is very popular here, and very far from commerces
One very big problem is zoning commercial and residencial areas as separate when there would be very big benefits to zoning them together. Including a labor force that lives close to work which can help eliminate traffic and pollution. Building that house a lot of families rather than just one family are far more cost effective for people so making only single family homes aloud creates a housing shortage and higher housing prices.
I’ve been fortunate to live in several areas of my home country (US). I’ve lived in large cities, the suburbs, and rural areas…and enjoyed them all, at different points of my life. Today I am a remote worker, and prefer to live in a quiet area…far from large amounts of people. I don’t mind things being a little less convenient, and appreciate the mental health benefits of a ‘slower’ paced lifestyle. That could change in my next phase of life…certainly happy now.
“Did you know that a lawnmower emits as much as a car” Wait, what?!?!? You cant just drop a statement like that as if its fact without backing it up. There is no way in hell that my lawnmower’s little 150cc engine emits anything near what the 2000cc engine of my car emits. That’s just patently untrue!
After living in an apartment next to heroin addicts who the landlord did nothing about I will never live in an apartment again. They broke into my house and poisoned my cat and threw my other cat off a 3 story balcony and stole my stuff. Landlord did nothing. Police did nothing. They then attacked me while I was taking out my trash and tried to break into my apartment again n threatened to kill us. Stole my moms car as well. Gloated about all of it outside our door n windows. It was hell. I never want to have to be trapped in a lease and have no right to safety in my apartment building. Landlord did nothing and police finally slapped them with a charge so I could get a restraining order but to people that crazy it meant nothing. I had to flee and break the lease and my credit took a huge hit. And the landlord came after me for 3 months of the broken lease after I vacated. Which stunted my ability to get a mortage and finance a car for many years. The whole experience gave me horrible ptsd and anxiety. I dont want neighbors I don’t want people coming to my door. Ever. That’s why I own my own home away from others. People can be bat shit insane.
I live in a small township in Quebec, Canada. Historically, the village and surrounding areas are all single family homes. Many of these were farm houses. Later, other houses were built. We have a shortage of housing and prices have risen greatly. There is a problem of affordability of housing for the young and less wealthy families. We now have the idea of converting some single family homes to shared housing (co-housing). We have a population that is old and getting older. There is the idea of converting a large single family home to a co-housing building for single elderly people to live together to support each other and avoid loneliness. This would free some housing for families to grow in right in the village or near to it. We also have the idea, and now the by-laws to support it, to add tiny homes to the yards of some single family homes to increase population density in our village. We also have developed housing within easy walking distance of the village centre, where there is plenty of shopping and work opportunities for our small population. However, these developments – done in the last fifteen to twenty years – are all single family homes. This is a missed opportunity, in my view. In the last five years, apartment buildings have been built within walking distance of the village centre. It seems we are learning to increase housing stock without wasting precious land which could be used to produce food and to enjoy nature. I love the idea of increasing density in urban areas by creating co-housing, tiny house living and other more dense living situations than the usual North American ideal.
In our area there’s SO MUCH R1 (single family dwelling zoning). Building up gets expensive because of the earthquake hazard and engineering required, but there’s no reason to limit the number of dwellings on these (often quite large) lots. We need to keep the parts of building code and zoning that keeps buildings from falling down but eliminate the parts that are just about creating scarcity and avoiding density.
A lot of talk about many theories of living together as a solution, but no one ever mentions the sacrifice needed for the most important factor and that is the idea of “living in harmony” with your neighbors and community. You have to give up on the idea of “personal space” wherever you go and learn to be considerate towards others and tolerant (and patient) to those who are not. Sounds like utopia but it’s practiced in some cities like here in Vienna. It’s not completely perfect but most people follow this idea and allow for a reasonable amount of discomfort to live together harmoniously.
As someone who lives in a multi-family apartment building built by the communists, I can strongly affirm that the article and the perspective is wrong from a set of perspectives. Stop pushing the “green” agenda, just to make people less independent. I am a young European and, as we were taught in school, we should harvest diversity rather than imposing people what to do. The solution to strict rules (like single family house zoning) is not changing those rules with others, it’s letting people choose whatever they like and feel better with and empower them to be able to take those decisions. Maybe some people like and need to stay in the middle of the city, because of work or social life, in an multi story apartment building and walk everywhere they need without owning a car, let them stay there. Maybe some families need a little yard, trees and some more space for their kids and maybe they have remote jobs and would like to live in a suburb. Let them live there and build facilities for them (sidewalks, parks, proximity shops). Maybe some people don’t like the bustling vibe of a city center, but want to still have the advantages of living in a city, let them live in a lower rise apartment building in a neighbourhood where they have shops, parks, pharmacies, health clinics and where they can have a car and good public transport services for their needs. Stop over dividing people and making them feel like enemies. Let there be diversity, everyone to be able to choose whatever suits their needs and let this diversity drive the whole society forward.