Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not for human connection

Re:Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not fo... by giantrobot on Thursday August 25, 2022 @01:24PM (#32596948)

Your supposed easily solved problems run up against cost or local building codes. Apartments tend to suck because builders put the bare minimum amount of work/cost necessary to get a building up to code. They have shit insulation because it's cheap but up to code. They have bad ducting and poor ventilation because it's cheap but up to code. The building codes are generated more from danger avoidance and other liability more than occupant comfort or efficiency.

Suburban parts of cities often aren't zoned for high density housing because the NIMBYs don't want them near their detached homes. When everyone sees a house as an investment there's no incentive for them to increase housing in their city.

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Re:Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not fo... by throwaway0a5e on Thursday August 25, 2022 @01:58PM (#32597473)

They spec cheap insulation and whatnot because after every party that they're legally required to do business (a dozen item long list of licensed trades and government entities) with gets their pound of flesh that's all there's money left for.

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Re:Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not fo... by giantrobot on Thursday August 25, 2022 @03:13PM (#32598564)

So the poor builder is being gutted by regulations and paying licensed labor? If not for those obscene costs they would use better more expensive materials?

How can you possibly believe such a thing? That is just an outright foolish assertion. The labor cost to build something to code is the same regardless of the quality of materials. Builders skimp on materials to pad their margins. Even if they used cheaper unlicensed labor there's no impetus to use more expensive materials.

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Re:Too many Americans live in places built for cars – not fo... by throwaway0a5e on Thursday August 25, 2022 @03:41PM (#32598964)

If Brad the electrician wants to benefit from artificial barriers to entry that keep his job out of reach of Jose that raises the cost floor of a building. Now apply the same effect for every trade. Now add in the cost of dealing with obstinate government. Suddenly there's no money left to spruce up the building beyond the bare minimum and still come out the other side with an end result within the scope of "what the market will bear".

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