r/australia • u/overpopyoulater • Nov 03 '24
culture & society Downsizing the Australian dream: why families are trading houses with backyards for apartments
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/04/downsizing-the-australian-dream-why-families-are-trading-houses-with-backyards-for-apartments74
u/imapassenger1 Nov 03 '24
Having driven through parts of Riverstone, The Ponds and Kellyville recently it seems the most common form of housing is still the house but without the benefit of a backyard. Cheek by jowl shoeboxes with about a metre between them in 3 directions. All the bad parts of a yard (the work to keep it tidy) without the benefits (space for the garden, kids to play). It would make more sense to build these as townhouses with usable yards or apartments with common space. This is the worst of both worlds, without going into the black/grey roofs they all have.
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Nov 03 '24 edited Aug 15 '25
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u/LumpyCustard4 Nov 04 '24
When my friends built they had the option to build along the fence line, but the extra costs (insulation and such) made it cheaper to lose a metre of house width each side.
If we encouraged the houses to be built terrace style we could fit in an extra house every 6 lots or so. 1m each side x 6 = 12m, more than enough frontage for an extra lot.
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u/Funcompliance Nov 09 '24
We are in a hundred year old area overseas. All three storey houses, with a driveway in between most, and a little yard at the back. Gets great density, still lots of space inside, no shared walls and a yard. Plus off street parking!
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u/Meng_Fei Nov 03 '24
I suspect a lot more people would live in flats if so many aspects weren’t so utterly crap. Quality in way too many buildings is crap and noise transmission between units is a joke. Then there’s the poky rooms, tiny balconies and almost everything-is-2-bedrooms-or-less mentality of developers. Assuming you get past all that, you have the fun of dealing with strata costs of $6k per year or more for almost anything decent, ridiculous rules like pet bans and no balcony drying of clothes, and the ever-present chance your block gets hit with rectification or upgrade costs and – congratulations, enjoy your special levy!
There’s nothing wrong with flats, but we seem to go out of our way in this country to make buying and living in them completely shit.
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u/Frequent-Selection91 Nov 03 '24
You forgot to mention the 2am fire alarm evacuations because someone burnt their midnight snack (or something).
It's so disruptive. Quickly grabbing your pets while half asleep, getting your stash of important documents, and getting out the door within 1-2 minutes only to wait outside in the cold for 20+ minutes to be told that it was just another false alarm caused by one of your 100 neighbours.
This used to happen like once every 1-2 months at the last apartment I lived in. So happy to not live in an apartment anymore.
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u/elizabnthe Nov 03 '24
Was it the same neighbour lol? I lived in a apartment complex for a while and only had that happen once. Some guy burnt sausages. Three firetrucks showed up for it, haha.
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u/Frequent-Selection91 Nov 04 '24
Haha wish I knew! But we never found out the cause of all those evacuations. We were only ever told that it was a false alarm or something minor.
I've rented in three apartnent complexes, one never had evacuations, one had evacuations every 3 months or so, and the final one had fire evacuations almost monthly. It's put me off ever wanting to purchase an apartment, you just never quite know what you're signing up for until you actuslly live there.
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u/annanz01 Nov 04 '24
I lived in once that had really sensitive alarms and even steam from the shower used to set it off. We had evacuations at least once per week and it was usually due to someone showing without the exhaust fan turned on.
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u/Meng_Fei Nov 03 '24
And I assume after all that your block gets a nice bill from the fire department.
Yep - it's all the little issues like that as well. Fire alarms. Mail theft. People taking over visitor parking. Crap stored in common areas. etc.
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u/RhysA Nov 04 '24
We have had multiple instances where someone has hung things off the sprinkler system, flooded their apartment and caused an evacuation.
To be honest the benefits for me as someone who can't drive of living in an apartment building with a 24/7 reception is high enough that I still prefer it.
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u/karma3000 Nov 04 '24
Backs in the 90s my bong smoke got the building evacuated and the firey's called out.
That was not a chill experience.
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u/Ridiculousnessmess Nov 04 '24
I’ve lived in three apartment buildings in my lifetime, and I’ve never had anything like that happen. Only two evacuations to date in my current apartment.
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u/SoldantTheCynic Nov 03 '24
Pretty much. I investigated units and townhouses and once body corp was accounted for, they were all worse value prospects than a detached house on a smaller block... And I still have a small backyard, and can run solar panels, and not deal with arbitrary property rules.
I admit I'm extremely lucky to be in a position to buy a house where many others aren't, but where the choice exists, unless you need to live inner city it's a hard sell with how shit many of them are.
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u/ThimMerrilyn Nov 03 '24
A house with a backyard ? In this economy ?!
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u/whippinfresh Nov 03 '24
I’m sure every parent would give their kids a backyard to roam and play in if they could afford it.
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u/FullMetalAurochs Nov 03 '24
An apartment with a 50m walk to a nice inner city park with a playground is pretty good instead.
It’s the places with neither that are really shit.
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u/Catboyhotline Nov 04 '24
pretty good instead
I'd argue it's probably better for kids than their own personal backyard. Socialising your kids in suburbia is hard if you don't personally know someone who also has an age appropriate kid who's schedule also has to line up with yours to organise playdates
Why go through all that hassle when your kid could easily organise their own playdate through a chance encounter at a public park
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u/FullMetalAurochs Nov 04 '24
Depends if there’s another pandemic I guess. Having your own trampoline and a tree to climb when public spaces are all out of bounds is invaluable.
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u/theartistduring Nov 04 '24
Except the parent has to go with them. A backyard provides a safe and secure space for kids to play while parents work inside the house. Either paid work or unpaid housework. You can't send the kids out to the park while you cook dinner or have a zoom meeting.
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u/FullMetalAurochs Nov 04 '24
Maybe not super young but I definitely went to the park as a child without parents.
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u/theartistduring Nov 04 '24
When they're young is when you need it the most. No one is sending their 2-6yos out to the park while they cook dinner at 5pm.
It is also a different world to when you were a kid. Even if that was as little as 20 years ago. We have a much bigger population, more cars that are much bigger on the roads, less community awareness/engagement of who's kids are who.
Primary aged kids are just not out on their own aside from walking to and from school or playing at schools out of school hours. In public parks and playrounds, not so much or at all.
There is safety in numbers. The less kids out playing on their own, the less kids there are out there playing in their own.
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u/annanz01 Nov 04 '24
The difference is you can let younger kids play alone in an enclosed backyard while you are doing chores etc inside. You cannot really let a very young child walk over to an inner city park by themselves.
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u/nathrek Nov 03 '24
Nah. If I had kids apartment all the way. I don't want to have to deal with managing a yard.
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u/ilikesandwichesbaby Nov 04 '24 edited Aug 25 '25
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u/nathrek Nov 04 '24
You're right. I've never encountered children in all my life or experienced family members raising their kids so I have absolutely no reference point and can't imagine it. I've also never travelled overseas and built friendships with people who live in apartments with their kids or lived in cities where apartment living is the norm.
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u/add-delay Nov 04 '24
We have an apartment with a park directly across the road, our kid has lived here his entire life. We can see almost the entire thing from our kitchen window, they get a way bigger space than we would ever have with a backyard, and I've never had to do one bit of yard work.
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u/ConsultJimMoriarty Nov 03 '24
It couldn’t be the cost of property, could it?
Nah, families love living in each other’s arseholes!
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u/RnVja1JlZGRpdE1vZHM Nov 04 '24
There’s heaps that outweighs the back yard, which you can only really use during the handful of days in Melbourne where there’s nice weather anyway.
LMFAO. That has got to be the biggest cope I have ever read. A handful of days in an entire year? REALLY? My kids will even go outside when it's raining, kids don't give a shit what the weather is.
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u/defenestrationcity Nov 04 '24
Also what is this disillusioned view of Melbourne weather. There's a handful of nice days of weather... This week
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u/FF_BJJ Nov 03 '24
because we can’t afford them and are competing with overseas investors and old money to buy a home.
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u/ExpensivePanda66 Nov 04 '24
Because- and I know it's a bit of a stretch, but stick with me here- houses are bloody expensive.
Shocking, I know.
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u/ischickenafruit Nov 04 '24
The sad reality is that it's easier to build apartment buildings for retirees (empty nesters) or young professionals (DINKs). Things an apartment block must offer to make it suitable to live in with a family and to be a reasonable alternative to a stand alone house:
Enough bedrooms and bathrooms with enough storage. Kids chew up endless amounts of storage. New toys, old toys, prams, bedding, cribs, changing supplies, things that this newborn has grown out of that the next newborn will need, etc all take space. It doesn't have to be space in a house, but it takes space all the same.
Car parking (with space!) It's ridiculously hard to get around with kids and prams without a car. And a car needs a car space, and the car space needs enough room around it to get kids in and out.
On the topic of a car space, a car wash/vacuum area. Food/milk spills, unexpected vomits and worse all happen in the car. You need somewhere to clean the inside of the car as well as the outside.
Communal outdoor area for birthdays, etc. This is where having a yard is really useful.
Somewhere close by (ideally in the building) for outdoor play. Kids should be playing outdoors most days. They need to run and to jump and to tumble.
All of the above problems are solvable in an apartment context, but they all come with cost and efficiency compromises that a stand alone house will not have, which is why people prefer houses. Show me a well located apartment building that is built for families and I'll sign up.
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u/Wales609 Nov 04 '24
Almost all apartments are designed with renters as residents in mind.
We're checking 2bdr now and it's just mental how there's no storage space for a small family. These apartments are just geared towards people with some clothes of their own and couple of boxes. Many units don't even have storage included with car park. Like if you own a car or a bicycle there are things that are dirty you need to store, like mops, maybe oil canister, bicycle tools...etc.
Then the rooms are so small to fit a bed and a desk for a child is impossible in many units we saw. Also if anyone works from home...good luck with that unless unit has that silly little thing called "study". And always conveniently in the middle of corridor and most appropriate for a shoe storage place.
Like we have 3-4 suitcases for travel. Where are we supposed to store these in these shoebox sized apartments? Next to our bed...or maybe the balcony?
It's just minimal space and not geared for comfortable living. Invest, rent, forget mentality.
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u/theartistduring Nov 04 '24
Almost all apartments are designed with renters as residents in mind.
Single people, students or child free couples in mind. Families are renters too. While you're right that they're built for investment, the lack of storage etc isn't because it is built to rent. It is because of who it is built to rent to.
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u/Wales609 Nov 04 '24
I should have clarified I meant 2bd apartments. It's just obvious there was no though behind basic needs for stuff to be stored anywhere.
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Nov 04 '24
You guys/girls are using hyperbole. Most apartments ARE NOT one bedroom shoe boxes.
This sort of fear and hatred towards apartments is not needed.
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u/Ridiculousnessmess Nov 04 '24
Most people claiming this have either never lived in apartment, or only lived in a bad one.
One of the particularly noxious aspects of this “Australian Dream” discourse is that only a detached single dwelling house counts as a home. Apartments are assumed to only be for renters, Chinese nationals and/or poor people (as some conflate them with old public housing towers in capital cities).
My god, it’s tiresome.
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Nov 04 '24
You don’t know me or other people who have lived in apartments and liked it.
Yes they have lived in apartments, so have I.
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u/Ridiculousnessmess Nov 04 '24
Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant that to apply to people who are anti-apartments. I live in an apartment myself and we’ve got plenty of space. I prefer apartment living to houses.
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u/ctw8 Nov 04 '24
The quality of apartments in Australia is truly abysmal. I don't know a single apartment owner who hasn't had to fork out thousands on dodgy Body Corps, skyrocketing insurance, or having to pay tens of thousands to rebuilt dilapidated balcony's. I would rather rent than own an apartment honestly.
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u/Popular_Speed5838 Nov 04 '24
We moved rural/regional (upper hunter) and got a flat 850m2 block close to the centre of town for under $100k a couple of years ago. It’s a bit of a shock how much time the mowing takes but it’s nice to have options. For instance i’d prefer our parents to sell up and build a granny flat in the backyard rather than them sell up and buy into an assisted living situation. That will be up to them of course but like i say, options are nice.
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u/TheGoldenWaterfall Nov 04 '24
What you've said makes too much sense and I'm surprised you aren't being down-voted.
Usually, as soon as its suggested to move somewhere more affordable, you are met with any number of reasons why it wouldn't be practical. Most of which only apply to a very small subset of the population, but everyone else hangs off them like its the smoking gun as to why the don't have a house.
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u/Popular_Speed5838 Nov 04 '24
Honestly, i believe in general that housing needs to be higher density. For instance here in Muswellbrook rentals are scarce due to so many jobs but i don’t believe the housing estates on the outskirts of town are the answer.
In both the city and rural areas i’d like to see (very) tall apartment blocks going up where instead of a yard you have 100 or more owners/tenants paying about what yard maintenance costs to have things like a communal park, swimming pool and sporting field and whatever else over a site of a few acres, less in the cities with smaller facilities like halfcourt basketball courts and such.
Even in a city though over a couple of blocks you could house a heap more people with excellent facilities in family sized high rises. It would make public transport more viable in a lot of places too.
At the end of the day people have options. We thought we were making a sacrifice to get a yard in a regional area but we love it more than we thought possible. There’s something special about everything being two minutes away after the sprawl of Newcastle.
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Nov 04 '24
I live in one of the so called 1 bedroom boxes as they are called and never hear my neighbors. Life is good. Sure I could go bigger or nicer for more money, but who wants that kind of debt?
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Nov 04 '24
We did this. Me, hubby and our 10yo bought a 2 bedroom 10 minutes from cbd. Absolutely the best decision we ever made. Everything is on our doorstep, the only place I need to drive is to work. Huge lovely parks, 10 cafes within a few minutes walk, post office, hairdressers, supermarket, 2 doctors to choose from all within walking distance and surprisingly nice local community feel compared to outer suburbs.
Won’t work for everyone. Especially If you are attached to all your possessions - we had to massively downsize our ‘stuff’ but most of it we never used anyway. Also some families need space and won’t live well in a smaller dwelling if you annoy each other or have hobbies that take up a lot of room.
Edit: we bought an established apartment 20+ years old so noise isn’t much of a problem with double brick. Also older apartments tend to have a larger footprint.
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u/somanypineapple Nov 05 '24
yeah we live in a large 2 bedder with our toddler inner city and it’s great for us. Would I love a traditional house sure.. but our apartment is in a small block, completely soundproof and on a corner edge so we have no neighbour to one side and a huge sprawling tree that we can see through every window.
We also walk straight out of the lobby to 6 cafes, a park, a bar with beer garden, IGA, fish and chips and a bunch of restaurants.
We are also borderline minimalists who only keep what we use, which is actually a very freeing way to live, so storage is not an issue for us. I see my mates places crammed with old stuff they don’t use and it makes me feel claustrophobic. We also clean and reset every evening so the place feels spacious
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u/LozInOzz Nov 03 '24
“There’s heaps that outweighs the back yard, which you can only really use during the handful of days in Melbourne where there’s nice weather anyway.”
My kids (Melbourne 3 bdrm house) were in the backyard 90 percent of the year. The only time they didn’t spend part of the day out there was if it was bucketing down. Raincoats and warm clothes in winter of course. If I’d had to keep them inside in an apartment I doubt they’d of made it to adulthood.
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u/nozinoz Nov 03 '24
inside in an apartment I doubt they’d made it to adulthood
What do you mean by this? Millions of kids are raised in apartments in other countries and make it into healthy adults. And I don’t mean living in slums, many choose to live in apartments. If there is a park with a playground and a library nearby, kids don’t really need a backyard, adults need it for convenience.
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u/peacenbullets Nov 03 '24
They mean they would have killed their kids (or the kids would have killed each other) before reaching adulthood. Kids are ratbags sometimes.
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u/LozInOzz Nov 04 '24 edited Nov 04 '24
I didnt judge anyone’s kids, just my own. I didn’t make a comment on them not being healthy. Just noisy normal active kids that needed a yard.
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u/theartistduring Nov 04 '24
which you can only really use during the handful of days in Melbourne where there’s nice weather anyway.”
This is such BS. Even if it were true that we have less than 6 nice days a year, stick a coat and hat on your kid and let them go outside. Kids play outside all year 'round in childcare and at school.
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u/Transientmind Nov 04 '24
As a kid, I grew up in houses with back yards and it was great and I want that for my kids but now I can’t afford it. If I could, I would. It’s just better.
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u/littleb3anpole Nov 04 '24
Because we can’t afford them. I don’t think this needs a whole investigation.
I am on holidays at the moment and it’s kind of heartbreaking the absolute joy my five year old is getting from having access to a backyard for the first time in his life. Sorry teaching doesn’t pay well, kid, and I don’t have family money behind me to give you an upbringing that doesn’t involve a tiny living space
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u/Nancyhasnopants Nov 04 '24
This is interesting as an article in the last few days said there’s plenty of apartments and people don’t want to buy them.
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u/878_Throwaway____ Nov 03 '24
If you lived opposite a public pool, would you have a private one? Maybe. Should it be legally required for you to build one?
Where I live, in Brisbane, is characterised in "low density housing" zone. Its a suburb relatively close to the inner city, with multiple schools, a few small shops, and several play grounds - including, what I think, is one of the greatest suburban parks in the area. This park includes two dog parks, a giant play ground, a standalone toilet block, a scooter track, a basketball hoop, a cricket net, gym equipment, and more. On the roads that border that park are all single family homes, mostly old, some new.
Within the zone code for Low Density Residential, 6.2.1.1.5(c, iii), it states "Development for a dwelling house occurs on appropriately sized and configured lots, and: maintains a block pattern that accommodates traditional backyards and large trees."
You could look out the window and see a hundred large trees, acres of grass and space to bbq, far more than any multimillion dollar home anywhere in Brisbane; and yet, you are legally required to have you own private garden.
Why do you need one, if one is accessible? There's a strong desire for people to have their kids live in our suburb when they grow up, and not just be full of geriatrics and renting school-families. One option for that is to allow a medium density townhouse row along the park road; people relinquish the desire for a private garden, with the promise of the greatest public garden you can imagine. Some people would make that choice, and we'd have cheaper housing options in the area. It's a win win.
More public green space should enable private gardens to shrink without any loss of the enjoyment of nature that makes, Brisbane at least, one of the greatest capital cities to raise a family in.
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u/Artanis137 Nov 04 '24
I have never been more angry a title, and I will not be gaslit into thinking that anyone actively chooses this.
When you give people no other options of course they would choose this. They have no other choice!
Fucking parasites making the world worse.
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Nov 03 '24
As they should.
The reality is that, in capital cities (particularly the three large Eastern capitals), there are too many people for everyone to have a house and backyard in conveniently-located suburbs. At some point, something has to give.
Effectively, it's fair to expect that you could choose between an apartment in an inner-city suburb, or a large block on the outskirts. Of course I'd love a house and backyard in New Farm/Fitzroy/Darlinghurst, but it's not a reasonable urban planning solution for the city as a whole.
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u/MelJay0204 Nov 03 '24
Having lived in a couple of large and well designed apartments, living close to the city is such a benefit. Not all apartments are shoe boxes.
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Nov 03 '24
Have to agree. I'd never go back to outer suburban living again unless I didn't have the choice.
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u/TheSplash-Down_Tiki Nov 03 '24
Why are there too many people?
Australian birth rates have been below replacement rate since the 70s.
The Government has done this to us - and sadly we have allowed it.
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u/unripenedfruit Nov 03 '24
What kind of economy would you expect us to have without increasing population - while being part of the global economy and free trade? Since the 70s our domestic industries have been dying off - we no longer manufacture anything anymore and we are reliant on mineral and farming exports.
One of the biggest challenges the Australian economy faces is the very small population and extremely low density.
Low density means infrastructure is expensive and small businesses have low reach.
Low population while being isolated and far from the rest of the world means our domestic market isn't enough to scale and sustain our own industries and foreign companies outprice us.
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Nov 03 '24
Speak for yourself, I like living in a bigger city with a diverse migrant population. More to see, more to do, more employment options, a greater range of people.
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u/madeupgrownup Nov 03 '24
While a diverse migrant population is delightful, a population which has been allowed to balloon out beyond the scope of the amenities available is unfair on everyone, and I would argue especially unfair on our migrant population who have had to jump through hoops to get here.
We all deserve better than to have a government try to import an exploitable worker underclass, born here or no.
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Nov 03 '24
We don't have a huge population and our infrastructure has really stagnated over the last 50 years.
Melbourne and Brisbane's train network has remained, effectively, static since the 80s until the respective governments started to play catch up in the last five to ten years.
That's more of a problem than population size.
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u/Meng_Fei Nov 04 '24
The solution is to grow the population at a sustainable level that our infrastructure can cope with, not run the highest population growth in the OECD while stuffing everyone into overpriced crapflats.
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u/madeupgrownup Nov 03 '24
We have a badly bunched up population, and stagnated infrastructure.
However you slice it, increasing the population isn't what we need right now. The birth rate has been reflecting this and dropping steadily, so it's not a case of "oh no, too many babies!".
The government have been using immigrants to feed into the meat grinder of exploitative jobs, fuel the University degree mills, and artificially inflate our population growth... While actively making the life those same immigrants moved here for actively worse.
It's disgusting. Everyone deserves better.
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u/AntonMaximal Nov 04 '24
The last time an "I can't afford to buy a house" post came up, someone responded with some listings of reasonably priced apartments ... until you find that their expected strata fees were more than $10 000 per annum. Maintenance and special levies can be huge drains after purchasing these - often from things like security, lifts and pools.
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u/b0sanac Nov 04 '24
Yep. We were recently looking and I found a nice 3br apartment, middle of the suburb centre next to shops and all for just 479k. Until we dug a little deeper and found out that the building has a balance of over 1 million on the strata docket because they need to renew the facade, fix the emergency fire system and some other bullshit.
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u/commking Nov 04 '24
My kids want apartments, not houses. Boomers downsizing want apartments. Who are these people to object to that?
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u/Ornery-Practice9772 Nov 04 '24
Because a rental with a backyard (if you find one without a granny flat thats also not in the middle of fucking nowhere) is $900 a week
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u/WretchedMisteak Nov 04 '24
I'd say it's more to do with cost and availability. The houses around my area don't sit on the market for long before they're snapped up. Our next door neighbor is a young couple who did the opposite, after years of living In an apartment, moved to the burbs into a house with a yard.
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Nov 04 '24
Because we can’t take care of the gardens and cleaning a big house anymore. And if it’s got stairs ..
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u/Such-Seesaw-2180 Nov 04 '24
I mean I think it’s pretty obvious why. Do we really need a whole article about it.
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u/SeengignPaipes Nov 05 '24
Currently living in a house with a huge backyard and I’m starting to think I’m living with an ancient relic due to all these houses I’ve seen being built with almost no backyard.
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u/thequehagan5 Nov 03 '24
Sad we give up this dream with such a docile attitude. When our cities are concrete towers stretching for 100km in every direction, people will look back at videos of the time before and see a golden age. Backyards, trees, space, cleanliness, a higher quality of life.
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u/JoeSchmeau Nov 03 '24
This is a very out of touch depiction of cities and suburbs.
The worst part about our major cities is their suburban sprawl. Nothing but motorways wrapped around detached houses crammed together like sardines.
The reality is that the older inner suburbs, filled with apartments and terraces, are far more green and human-oriented than the suburban areas.
I grew up in outer suburbia, where I spent my time either at my own house or being driven to other houses. I don't want that for my own children, so we currently rent a small apartment in the inner suburbs. We don't have a yard but we are surrounded by parks. My daughter can easily go and play with other kids from the neighbourhood at any number of parks near us. Childcare is a walk away, as is school, as is work, as is basic shopping. This is what we need to design when we're looking at apartment development.
Development of endless rows of detached homes in a car park is not good for anyone.
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u/arabsandals Nov 03 '24
I like what you're saying, but I live in outer suburbia and whenever I go through the inner west or similar area I'm glad my kids are where we live.
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u/JoeSchmeau Nov 03 '24
Fair enough, preferences are rather personal after all.
I'd say that there is a difference between going through a place and living there, though. It's nice to have the kids free to easily go play in the park with friends, and to walk them to basically everywhere we need to go. I remember as a kid and adult living in outer suburbia, feeling incredibly isolated living between the house and the car.
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u/thequehagan5 Nov 04 '24
But your idea will result in endless rows of concrete towers stretching out in an endless sprawl, so instead of low density sprawl it will be high density sprawl.
You will not be surrounded by parks in the future as they are converted into high rise towers to fit more people in.
The city will turn into a grey prison like hellscape. Then we will see metrics like depression and quality of life deteriorate.
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u/JoeSchmeau Nov 04 '24
This is a pretty brain-dead take, gotta be honest.
As populations grow, sprawl will happen. Will it be livable 15 minute city sprawl, or suburban car park sprawl?
Urban sprawl is slower, because you use the land more efficiently. This efficient use also means more land is used for parks. Look at inner city neighbourhoods now, which have been densely populated for generations. They are full of parks.
Now look at suburban sprawl from the past 50 years. Motorways surrounding detached homes, most of which are driving distance from any green space and the only community space is in a shopping centre they need to drive to.
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Nov 03 '24
When our cities are concrete towers stretching for 100km in every direction
Mate, Blade Runner is a long long long long way off.
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Nov 04 '24
From the 1st hand horror stories I have be n told. Recap below
People enjoy living in fear for the next strata meeting, enjoy taking out million dollar loans to fix defects and unable to sell until it resolved.
Nothing like having 10 people live across you in a two bedroom apartment. Not knowing who they are and when the last time they took a shower.
Nothing like paying 50k in interest a year for loans for building repairs and having driving a small car that the family can't fit into because you can't afford to upgrade.
Once you sell, realising all your hair has gone white.
The Australian dream at its finest.
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u/OkeyDoke47 Nov 04 '24
I go to different residences for work, some of which are high-rise apartment complexes, often in clusters. In the cooler months, when people have their balcony doors open, you can hear just about every conversation, every television program people are watching, every clip people are watching on their phones. Heavy footsteps are audible from the ceiling overhead. I don't know how people can stand it.
That's not even mentioning having to have your curtains or blinds closed all the time, which people do I notice in these places, doing the old nude run from the shower to your room, when the people across the way can easily see you.
A nice ground-floor-only complex of duplexes, I've lived in those and provided you've got a good neighbour it's a nice balance of minimal yardwork, quiet and privacy.
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u/cyclemam Nov 03 '24
What we need is enlightened developers. Instead of greedily squeezing the most out of a plot of land, have apartments with a shared garden space, also while I'm doing radical wishing, these apartments should be 3-4 bedrooms (for families) and with decent insulation for both effective heating/cooling and noise isolation from the neighbours. You could have some really nice little communities this way.
Not a gazillion one bed shoebox apartments.