Submitted by FedishSwish t3_zm50p9 in nyc
oreosfly t1_j09yosk wrote
America really has a missing middle when it comes to housing. You're either stuck living crammed on top of each other in a dense urban core or you're living in spread out suburban towns where you need to drive to buy a Kit Kat. It really should not be a choice between claustrophobic clusterfucks and endless strip malls, but that's pretty much it in the US.
I'm pretty sick of living around so many damn people, yet I would also like to live somewhere where my non-driving partner has the opportunity to get around without me. At this point it's pretty much a debate of what shit you're willing to put up with more - which is quite sad when you think about it.
In college I lived in a complex of duplexes, SFH, and rowhomes, along with a shuttle bus that ran to campus. It was a great combination of being able to get away from other people yet having campus always accessible - I often see that living situation as the one I enjoyed the most, but such a thing isn't really available when you're not a student anymore.
snowbeast93 t1_j0bj4cr wrote
This isn’t quite true in the NYC metro region, there are so many walkable town centers spread out along the various commuter train lines. The towns in NJ and the Hudson Valley do a great job of offering both nice apartment buildings and single family homes without too much sprawl. Connecticut is a different story though.
JeromePowellAdmirer t1_j0e5fcs wrote
> both nice apartment buildings and single family homes
Missing middle is...between these and those towns aren't new-building any of it
snowbeast93 t1_j0e7vjn wrote
??? What do you mean? There are plenty of new apartment buildings in those areas, not to mention the spread of density surrounding Manhattan. Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City are practically unrecognizable compared to just a decade ago due to all of the new residential buildings, and the same can be said of Jersey City. Even Harrison, NJ is a major commuter town/transit-oriented development that has exploded in the past couple of years.
There’s lots more to do but there are countless projects in the NYC region that are filling in the gaps.
JeromePowellAdmirer t1_j0e92tt wrote
I was more thinking about Westchester County and non-NYC Long Island.
snowbeast93 t1_j0eat22 wrote
Long Island is a total trainwreck so I definitely agree with you there, they are insistent that there is no new residential being built along the LIRR corridors, it's nuts
Past-Passenger9129 t1_j0a9raf wrote
It's not just driving. Product and goods distribution, trash, water, sewer, electricity, transportation, etc, etc. Density is good.
The trick is to find a happy balance.
The utopia of a homogeneous university is not a real life comparison.
oreosfly t1_j0aaiyb wrote
The idea I meant to convey was one where moderate density housing surrounds an easily accessible town core. In this case, the campus is the core where everything is. No such thing really exists here. In America you're either in a city or you're out in the sprawl. There's no middle ground. Thus you are forced to decide what you're willing to give up when deciding on a place to live
Past-Passenger9129 t1_j0afk22 wrote
I get it and I don't disagree. But the problem with the university model is that the campus doesn't house the staff and goods production needed to support the community, and the staff and goods production that is required to support them. It's an unrealistic model.
JeromePowellAdmirer t1_j0e5bqq wrote
It could, just expand the missing middle zone.
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