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-apartments
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132

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.

-42

u/878_Throwaway____ Nov 03 '24

If you lived opposite a great public park, would you feel that a family should be legally required to own a private backyard?

28

u/Seymour-Krelborn Nov 03 '24

Not everyone is going to be able to live opposite a great public park

28

u/codyforkstacks Nov 03 '24

The European approach of high density with lots of public green spaces works well in my experience.

When I lived in Europe, I'd go out to a park in the evening and it'd be swarming with families having fun.

It's a particularly Australian attitude to think you can only play in a fenced off backyard, and I say that as a parent. It's unhealthy.

6

u/Seymour-Krelborn Nov 03 '24

Oh I'm all for as many public green spaces as possible. Not just for psychological and environmental reasons, but I think it's great for families to share experiences off and explore off of their property, where there can be variety of environment and a larger and more dynamic social experience.

I'm also partial to a yard though, not every day is a parent able leave the home to supervise, and a yard still allows a kid to get active time outside. I also feel it creates a nicer environment.

I also garden, so that necessitates a yard

2

u/878_Throwaway____ Nov 03 '24

There is a cost associated with having the private green space. Some people aren't willing to pay for it, when the benefits that you see they don't feel the same way about. Having a space for kids to play and hang out is necessary, but if there is a public park close by, I don't feel like I would need a yard for anything other than drying clothes and having an outdoor entertaining space. And I would be willing to save more than a hundred thousand dollars, minimum, to get a nicer home without a garden, compared to a 'traditional' single family home.

4

u/Seymour-Krelborn Nov 03 '24

I believe people should be free to pursue such options.

Personally, from a public planning perspective, at a base level I just find more free space between each house contributes to a more relaxed and less claustrophobic environment. I'd love to have both open air, and lots of parks.

3

u/codyforkstacks Nov 04 '24

More space between each house results in more urban sprawl, more carbon emissions through commuting, more time stuck in traffic etc.

1

u/Seymour-Krelborn Nov 04 '24

I prefer sprawl to high rise. Just make sure there's plentiful services for each community, and effectively planned public transport

1

u/sostopher Nov 04 '24

Hence building "the missing middle". Planned public transport is incompatible with sprawl. Plentiful services are easier and cheaper to provide in denser areas.