More first-time, energy-conscious, urban home buyers with smaller households have contributed to a noticeable reduction in home size as shown in 2008-2009 housing Census data. Concurrently, lower-priced home sales outpaced more expensive homes.
Thirty years ago homes averaged 1700 sq. ft. Nonetheless, the 50 ft. drop to 2,422 sq.ft. from 2008-2009 is considered significant as home sizes had been increasing steadily.
"(T)he data do not indicate that buyers are looking for smaller homes because they think small is beautiful," Philadelphia economist Kevin Gillen, vice president of Econsult Corp, said. "Rather, they want homes that are more energy-efficient, with a more urban location and with fewer bedrooms, and that all naturally translates into a smaller home."
"On average, home sales for less than $350,000 have increased 12 percent year-over-year during the months since January 2009, while sales of houses priced from $350,000 to $900,000 have decreased 8 percent, said Michael Feder, president and CEO of Radar Logic of New York."
Read the full story: As housing market shrinks, so does average size of new homes
Home Builders Aren't Building the Smaller Homes the Market Wants
It's time to get demand and supply on the same page, according to this report.
Homeownership Takes on New Meaning
Homeownership is declining in the United States, so what does the new homeowner of the post-recession era look like?
Are American Home Sizes Growing or Shrinking?
Remember that trend toward smaller houses widely predicted and reported, well Lew Sichelman sees the inverse in figures recently reported at the annual convention of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in Orlando.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea
If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.
After decades of planning, Sacramento gains new light rail station
Trains will arrive every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak hours.
Massive tunnel-boring machine breaks ground on Gateway Project
The Trump administration revoked funding for the project in October 2025, and then restored it earlier this year.
Airo trainsets begin service on Amtrak Cascades route
The trains feature panoramic windows, complementary wifi and over 300 seats per train set.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello