The Question of the Modern Home
The single-family home, lauded as a signal of success, status, and to some, morality. Zoning across the United States prioritizes this form of housing above all other types of development. However, the single-family home and their zoning rules are causing a housing shortage for the growing population. Low housing supply is driving prices up, making owning a home out of reach for many people. Arguably one of the biggest reasons why the single-family home is still as prevalent as it is today despite these affordability issues is that there is still demand for them. Switching to denser forms of housing will benefit everyone, so to move past this abnormality in housing configuration, we need to prioritize the benefits of switching while highlighting the drawbacks of the current system. So, without further ado, let’s ruin the single-family home!
Racism, Classism, Ableism
The history of the single-family home is deeply rooted in both racism and classism, as many things are. Multi-family and smaller forms of housing have been common since the beginning of the US, but as immigrants and the poor kept comingling with wealthier white residents, those who could afford to flee would move to larger, cleaner, more expensive areas and homes. Often this was in response to disease or disasters like fires, but sometimes it was in response to perceived moral impurities of immigrants and their common forms of housing. As technological improvements like sprinkler systems are implemented into new homes and building codes are implemented to protect homes from natural disasters, there are fewer physical dangers associated with dense housing, yet the racial and economic stigmas against them still persist. This eventually culminated in wealthy, majority white suburbs where their tax money goes toward making their enclaves nicer while the now lower-class areas they abandoned suffer.
These stigmas then get codified into law through zoning regulations. The housing options available today through these regulations are mostly single-family homes with some high-rise buildings and apartments. However, because parking requirements drive up construction costs, these dense housing buildings are often not affordable for low-income residents. Townhomes and smaller multi-unit housing like triple-deckers that once provided economic mobility to immigrants were banned through zoning to prevent the degradation of wealthy white areas.
The current reality of homes for one rich homeowner or many rich homeowners also ignores the physical accessibility issues of high-rises as a solution for the population. As the population continues to get older and physical disabilities continue to be prevalent, high-rises pose a struggle for those who have trouble with stairs, causing a reliance on elevators which don’t always work. Add to that the income struggles of the disabled and elderly populations, and single-family homes are out of reach for many as well. Middle housing that is only a few stories provides greater accessibility for anyone with mobility struggles.
By continuing to prevent these forms of housing from being built, we are increasing the dependence on single-family housing for many in the population while preventing economic and social growth for others. The single-family home benefits the wealthy, white, and abled at the expense of everyone else.
Environment
Another huge problem with single-family homes is the disastrous impact they have on the environment. One of the aspects of the single-family home most coveted is the manicured individual yard, providing a small garden oasis to the homeowner while ensuring ample lighting reaches the home’s interior. However, these yards are an environmental disaster. They replace the natural plant life with non-native grasses or at times fake turf to achieve a homogenous look. These yards require lots of water, money, and time to maintain, especially for something that the homeowner hardly ever utilizes. These yards are often a buffer from the surrounding residents rather than a communal outdoor space for leisure and socializing. Instead of providing space to bring people together, they serve to push people apart while harming the environment in the process.
Beyond the confines of the property, there are even worse environmental costs of the single-family home due to their heavy reliance on the car. There is a striking lack of public transportation, pedestrian or bike-friendly commuter paths, or necessities near these homes. This leaves homeowners reliant on cars to meet their daily needs. As a result, the planet is paved to accommodate these cars and the parking spots necessary to store them. The pavement causes the surrounding areas to be warmer by storing and reflecting heat while the car emissions pollute the air, making car use a big threat to the health of the planet in the wake of global warming.
To make things worse, parking areas themselves pose safety threats to both drivers and pedestrians walking through them. Many physical injuries by cars happen in parking lots when drivers hit those who are walking to stores. This is on top of other car-related injuries and disasters that occur every year, including harm caused to bikers and pedestrians all over the country. Instead of relying on cars—for those who can even afford one—well-funded and maintained public transportation provides a safer, more economical, and environmentally friendly alternative.
Instead of separating residential and commercial areas, suburban and urban, and relying on cars to travel between them, we need to find a middle ground. Turning suburbs into small towns with local businesses servicing the residents' daily needs reduces the reliance on cars for longer-distance drives to stores, provides job opportunities for those looking to start a small local business, and strengthens the sense of community for those living in the area. The parking areas that once housed cars can be used to create more dense housing for individuals or could be turned into parks and other natural areas. Freeing up more time and space for people to enjoy leisure and nature is something that can benefit everyone.
Taxes & Insurance
There are many economic costs of single-family homes other than cars and yards. A big one facing many Americans right now is property taxes. These taxes disproportionately impact lower-income residents with houses that are over-assessed. They end up paying a far higher proportion of income taxes relative to their home’s cost compared to wealthier residents.
Home insurance is becoming a bigger problem as well. Insurance prices are getting far too high for many homeowners as natural disasters become more frequent across the country. Some areas won’t even offer coverage to homeowners, leaving them to eat the costs of any disasters that come their way. With the single-family home, the family alone has to face these cost burdens, which are often more than even a dual-income family can afford today.
However, these are only problems if the family can even afford a house in the first place. With high interest rates and home prices soaring due to a severe lack of housing supply, many people can’t even buy a house in the first place. With a lack of robust protections for renters and a lack of available, affordable housing options, people are left without options.
An important way to fix this is to build those smaller middle-housing options like townhouses and triple-deckers. Too many of the single-family homes and condo units being built and sold are far too big for the families of today. With fewer people having kids, these large 1500+ sqft homes and condos are unnecessary for many people. Smaller, more affordable homes are being destroyed to make unnecessarily large homes for the few people who can afford them. By focusing on lower-cost, reasonably sized homes in multi-unit buildings that can distribute the costs of taxes, insurance, and utilities, we can house more lower-income people and families.
Third Places & Social Wellbeing
Reassessing the amount of space we need and why we are drawn to these unnecessarily large homes in the first place is an important step in fixing our housing struggles. The larger the home one owns, the more things can be put inside, and the more one can signal their wealth. I’ve already discussed the issues with conspicuous consumption regarding clothing, but it is also a significant issue with housing. As long as people have space, they will fill it with things, even if they are unnecessary. By providing these larger homes with more space that needs to be filled, we are exacerbating the issues with relentless consumerism by filling our houses with junk that oftentimes ends up in self-storage units.
This can often be seen with hobbies. Many people will devote space in their homes to hobbies or their jobs, which was common during the pandemic. However, this secluded and anti-social engagement with one’s interests can have negative impacts on social wellbeing. These large homes promote disengagement from the broader community, which is understandable during a pandemic quarantine, but during times of relative health, they prevent social interactions with others that can be fulfilling and enjoyable. Denser housing and smaller homes encourage individuals to spend time outside the home in third places such as parks, coffee shops, libraries, or wherever else people enjoy spending their time. Instead of having a large home to accommodate one's hobbies, joining a club or social group fosters social interaction and relationships with others. For kids, whose social development is crucial at their young ages, going to public parks and entertainment centers fosters interaction, cooperation, and friendship instead of playing alone in individual yards. Creating small towns with these spaces within walking distance of the home reduces the time taken up by long car commutes, giving people time back to engage with the community in enriching ways.
Additionally, by building middle housing rather than single-family homes, socializing can happen at home as well. By bringing families and friends into close proximity, relationships that are often spread across multiple homes, towns, or even states are brought together for frequent socializing. As people move away from the nuclear family model of the ‘50s and marriage-focused lives, sharing a roof with friends and chosen family becomes more popular, and a building with housing units to accommodate these relationships is necessary. By reducing the space between important relationships, people can better meet their social and emotional needs inside the home as well as outside.
Conclusion
Nostalgia for the homes and lives of the past is dangerous, preventing us from working toward a better present and future. As long as we collectively keep placing value on single-family homes and the lives they promote, there will still be a market for them. They will continue to be built and they will continue to be bought, often by private equity who buy them up for profit at the expense of everyone else. By reminding ourselves of the significant drawbacks of this kind of housing, one that doesn’t fit in our modern world, we can curb the desire for single-family homes. And if you made it through this entire article and still find yourself wanting a large, secluded single-family home, just think about all that space where something or someone could be hiding, with no one close enough to hear you scream :)
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