Having the windows set in 4 inches from the exterior wall instead of being flush would fix 90% of 5/1 aesthetic problems. For some reasons builders insist on flush windows even when the rest of the waterproofing layer is 2-4 inches behind the exterior wall, which is insane from an engineering point of view.

Good brick looks much better than the best fiber cement, but bad brick can be much, much worse than the hackiest fiber cement installation. Think of the column bases of City Hall, or the average 1960s public housing project--acres of nothing but running bond red brick. No depth, no detail, just monolithic liminal space hell, like somebody was intentionally trying to build the backrooms IRL. Brick and architectural minimalism just don't mix.

To make brick look good you have to have contrasting brick bond patterns, actual lintels or arches above doors and windows (not some fake looking row of vertical bricks), actual sills that protrude beyond windows and aren't made of brick, and some depth to the brickwork. At least corbel the cornice, for goodness's sake.

"Sorry, you can't build a McDonald's here (even though there's plenty of demand to justify it). Legal Seafoods only (even though current owners paid McDonald's prices 50 years ago, and displaced No. 9 Park in the process)!"

If a SFH is surrounded by 10 story apartment buildings that aren't vacant, you can be pretty damn sure that there is plenty of demand for 10 story apartment buildings.

> With apartment buildings built near every commuter rail station till the cape this will go away.

I don't see what the problem with this is. Why is demand for small towns full of SFHs a good thing? If Boston were built to the density of NYC, we'd be cheaper than NYC, and making close to NYC money too.

99.9% of the new 5/1 apartment buildings that get built would look beautiful if developers 1) stopped trying to push windows as far to the outside as possible (because residents have a window sill space fetish, apparently) and inset windows 4 inches from the wall and 2) used strong, saturated colors instead of the bland shitty beige/gray palette.

Another idea: all housing that meets Passivhaus standards are exempt from local zoning and reviews.

A single family home surrounded by 10 story apartment buildings will have its land priced as if a 10 story apartment can be built on it, ie a whole lot more expensive. In the grand scheme of things buildings aren't worth much compared to the underlying land.

It's not as strong as our opposition to adequate road lighting though. Seriously, fuck getting lazed in the dilated pupils by LED headlights on tall SUVs at night.