America's Appetite for Big Homes Returns

The recent reversal of America's historic trends in city growth, driving rates, and home sizes have urbanists wondering about their long-term prospects as the economy recovers. Recent data indicates one of those trends didn't have staying power.

1 minute read

June 4, 2013, 8:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"The Census Bureau released updated statistics this morning on new single-family housing completed within the past year, a snapshot of the latest demand for fireplaces (in 43 percent of new homes), fourth bedrooms (41 percent) and three-car garages (19 percent) in the housing construction market," reports Emily Badger.

After a celebrated decline in the average square footage of new single-family homes in the United States, the latest data suggests "that we're building big again," she notes. "The average single-family house completed in 2012 was 2,505 square feet in size, just shy of the all-time high. In fact, a larger share of those homes had a fourth bedroom than at any time since the Census started counting."

Monday, June 3, 2013 in The Atlantic Cities

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