US law gives horizontal/land subdivision many advantages over condo/strata title. The legal process is much simpler & cheaper, both to set up & to run. All kinds of things follow from this, like financing, insurance, maintenance.
Condos have an added problem: construction defects. Roof leaks are common, tough to contain. In a condo, builder & owners end up fixing all units; in a TH, could just be one.
In some states, this alone basically ended condos: cobizmag.com/construction-d…
Multiple smaller structures have an inherent phasing advantage & a big financing advantage:
More-robust market also means developers find it easier to finance THs than apts (much less condos).
Hence, lots of local LU reforms focus on making horizontal subdivision easier:
LA small lot subdivisions usually have fee-simple houses w air gaps + access easements huduser.gov/portal/casestu…
CA bungalow courts or WA cottage courts / pocket neighborhoods
Fee-simple ADUs in Durham NC (& maybe Atlanta - also, good example of how subdividing wins on finance vs. multi-unit rentals) kronbergua.com/post/griffin-s…
BUT these have problems!
Once you've decided that each unit has to be ground-to-sky + this being America, there are legal/practical parking minimums, that creates a de facto DUA maximum. There's a practical limit to minimum lot size
As much as I like Philly's trinities, they have a limited market
One insidious way US code favors townhouses over flats: in most states, stacked flats require considerably costlier IBC (fire isolated stairs + sprinklers), but rows can be done as IRC:
Architects find 4-story courtyard apartments will save the world:
- lowest embodied CO2 for buildings+infrastructure
- lowest operating energy demand
- 94% land savings
- density=🚋🚌🚶♀️🚴♀️ energy savings global.ctbuh.org/resources/pape…
Yes, you too can save energy… AND live more elegantly!
4-story courtyard apartments are common along Chicago's lakefront; #1-3 are particularly grand examples around Rogers Park. Courtyards were a common way to get sunlight & ventilation before aircon (#4's in Singapore)
Surprising source arguing for low-rise #MissingMiddleHousing: AS+GG is an architecture firm specializing in supertall high-rises; designed current world’s tallest building + its even taller successor. dezeen.com/tag/adrian-smi…
Published by CTBUH, the skyscraper study club.
Opening session: For #HQ2, DC region had infrastructure ready: human capital + physical capital. Uniquely, the Crystal City site was *office* backfill. #ULIFall
Confirms my suspicion about readiness westnorth.com/2017/09/11/wha…
*Office* backfill matters: other touted sites were previously industrial, but that requires very different infrastructure. Unlike any other site (besides LIC) Crystal City had plug-and-play transit & workforce access.
Tim Sands: VT had shovel-ready plans for innovation campus. #HQ2 was catalyst to "pull the plan out of the drawer." New students already excited, they cite it as one reason why VT was over-enrolled this fall.
Virginia's leadership had readiness, timing, alignment, trust.