Kaid Benfield looks at recent trends in the housing sector and asks whether America's infatuation with the McMansion is over.
Citing studies from Trulia, the National Association of Home Builders, the census, and the National Association of Realtors, Benfield sees a reversal in the long term trend of increasing American home size.
"After many years of dramatically increasing home size in America - from an average of 983 square feet in the 1950s up to 2300 square feet in the 2000s, despite declining household sizes - the trend appears finally to be going in the other direction."
To provide a little perspective however, Benfield shows that the US has a long way to fall to catch up with most other developed countries.
"A survey and data comparison conducted by the (now-defunct, unfortunately) British Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment found the size of an average new American home built in the 2000s to be approximately twice as large in floor space as one in Spain or France, and nearly three times as large as the average in the UK."
FULL STORY: What's going on with new home sizes - is the madness finally over?
Explore US Demographics With the New ACS Atlas Collection
Esri's new ACS Atlas Collection offers interactive applications that visualize the latest U.S. demographic and socio-economic data, enabling users to explore over 175 curated web maps across various thematic areas.
Survey Says: U.S. Homebuyers, Especially Gen Z, Want Walkable Neighborhoods
Generation Z is leading a new push toward walkable communities, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors.
Families With Young Children Left Cities At Higher Rates During Pandemic
New Census data reveal that families with children under five led the migration out of major U.S. cities between 2019 and 2021.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)