McMansion or not, the American home is a good 600 to 800 square feet larger than the average in most other countries. Possible reasons run the gamut from policy to culture to personal economics.

It's no secret that the United States boasts big houses. Average American homes are significantly larger than their global counterparts, and the contrast is even more stark for newer American constructions. Here, Joe Pinsker takes a look at a range of causes for this country's size obsession.
One set of reasons has to do with deliberate policies that "have for the past century effectively steered Americans toward living in detached single-family homes" and commuting by car. Other factors are cultural, like a supposed American preference for space, or historical, like the relative newness of American metros compared to European counterparts built atop medieval foundations.
"In the case of the U.S., more than national wealth is linked to size—there's often a personal financial advantage to it as well," Pinsker writes. Getting a big mortgage on a spacious house, or so the thinking goes, pays off in the long run as the larger house appreciates with time.
Despite the American fixation with space, Pinsker also notes how norms can shift. According to one study, "from 2003 to 2018, the median square footage that home buyers said they wanted dropped from 2,260 to 2,066."
FULL STORY: Why Are American Homes So Big?

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont