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.
A couple of weeks ago, we linked to an article by Kaid Benfield reporting on the trend towards smaller homes in the U.S., according to survey and census results and predictions from the National Association of Home Builders. Well, recently Urban Land ran a piece citing census and NAHB data and reached an entirely different conclusion - that house sizes are increasing. So, what gives?
It's not quite clear in reading the two pieces, how they arrived at divergent data. While both quote census data numbers to back up their conclusions, their numbers are different. This may result from one using average home size and the other using median home size. Sichelman isn't clear on which he's using, and does not provide a link or detailed reference for his date. However, Benfield acknowledges the "average" versus "median" divergence and still sees a similar trend line, irrespective of what statistical analysis tool is used.
Another potential cause for the conflicting findings is the of the age of the data referenced. Benfield does not seem to incorporate census data more recently than 2010, while Sichelman's reference point seems to be data from the first half of 2011
Since both authors report their NAHB sources predicting a long term trend towards smaller homes, I assume the information used by Sichelman to reach his conclusion is a momentary blip in an otherwise ongoing trend towards smaller average (and median) home sizes.
But please, read each piece and judge for yourself.
FULL STORY: Houses Getting Bigger, Not Smaller
Is the Shrinking Middle Class Driving the Growth in Home Size?
Lloyd Alter weighs in on the debate over the shrinking, or growing, size of American homes, seeing the influence of affluent homebuyers as driving an increase in size.
Homes Shrink As Lower-Priced Homes Sales Surge
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.
Detroit and Michigan on the Upswing
It's been 66 years since the Motor City last grew its population. Census data released last month revealed an increase of nearly 2,000 people last year, nearly half the state's population growth.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)