We should change what we think of as a “house,” as well as regulations and zoning requirements for housing. Single-family dwellings, ideas about independence and autonomy, covenants and regulations are in the way of reasonable solutions.
Our current approach to housing has created sprawl, traffic, inefficiency and lack of community. Young people seem to have less need for a huge house and accumulating stuff than prior generations. We need to be building clustered, perhaps contiguous, efficient dwellings with associated storage for gear and incorporating community gathering places.
Social determinants of health would point us in this direction, where we know one another, help one another, feel less isolated and belong to a group. Our personal and financial health could be improved by reimagining housing.
Karen Zink
Durango
