In defense of the "gentrification building"

There’s a ton we couldn’t fit into the video. If you’re curious why, when new buildings do get built, they are so often single-family homes or luxury apartments — check out this video we made about the rules that make it extremely expensive to build anything else: https://youtu.be/0Flsg_mzG-M And for a fun, deep dive into one aspect of what makes new construction look so similar, check out Phil’s video on the rectangles that cover these buildings: https://youtu.be/Ml-ZP-_e_o4 Thanks for watching! -Ranjani

"it looks bland, unoriginal, mass produced" but your house in the suburbs is TOTALLY UNIQUE, right?

Who would've thought that the solution to a housing shortage was to build more housing?

“Why do all new apartment buildings look the same?” Have these people ever seen how single family houses have been looking for like, 100 years?

There's a building in my neighborhood with the typical "gentrification" architecture but it was built on land donated by a church which turned it into affordable housing apartments and the bottom level has a school that teaches culinary trade skills to low income folks. It's super impressive and I point it out everytime im walking around with out of towers visiting me. I love this type of project so much and it's so badly needed everywhere.

"Gentrification!" "Not in my backyard!" "Too boring! It all looks the same!" "Why won't someone do something about the housing crisis?!?"

Americans: "Such boring architecture! These buildings look bland and artificial! " Also Americans: * build suburbia *

Imagine complaining about a building looking "artificial." When was the last time you saw a brick growing on a tree? Every building is artificial, that's why we build them instead of finding them lying around.

A lot of those buildings are affordable housing and I’m glad y’all are shedding light on it cuz I know from literally just apartment shopping. I noticed a similar style between all of these buildings and affordable apartments. I think it’s kind of annoying that so many people will jump onto a hate train just cuz and without actually doing research.

The only problem I have with the modern constructions is how thin the walls between units are. Living in one of these currently, and I can hear every conversation my neighbor has. I really wish they'd increase the minimum sound dampening requirements between units.

I moved into a massive one of these with my girlfriend. We as Americans really need to start accepting more buildings like these in our cities, as it encourages mass transit use, limits urban sprawl and helps reduce skyrocketing rents by increasing the housing supply. It also helps reduce dependency on cars, as these types are almost always built with essentials within walking distance. The one we moved into has a grocery store in the bottom level, bank and dentist as well. Those would have normally been time wasting trips in a car, but now don’t have to contribute to congestion and pollution. These buildings are a win win over all

I always use the litmus test of "what's this replacing" if you're replacing an apt with a fancy condo, that's displacement, but replacing a single family home with townhouses and multiplexes, then it's increasing the supply. As you point out, the issue is that housing is frequently framed as a commodity, where an increase in value is always good. But when there's not enough supply (e.g. because of an over-regulated market) then you end up creating crime (e.g. vagrancy).

lets get something straight here. its not "RICH" people moving into lower income, high poverty areas, its middle income households kids not being able to afford 'middle' income areas when they move out of their parents homes and can still afford better housing than what is currently in the poorer areas, so newer nicer buildings get built as a affordability compromise. so yes, some displacement does happen when these people move into those neighborhoods, but those same people who are moving in were displaced themselves from where they grew up and their families have lived for decades.

These are going up everywhere in Gainesville, FL. Traditionally, students lived in big suburban apartment complexes and rode Vespas to school. Now, they walk to campus from downtown 5 over 1's. It was a lightning quick transformation, and it really brought my social group together because everyone was in walking distance of each other's homes.

I'm in NY and I see a lot these new buildings being built. I didn't need a video to tell me these were made with cost in mind. Personally, I see it as a sign that a neighborhood is improving. More housing=more people=more businesses. It's the dead neighborhoods that are dangerous.

I wish you had emphasized stronger the need for more mixed use zoning locations. Single family zoning prevents this type of development from being allowed to exist in most places. That makes the neighborhoods where it can be built more expensive and exclusive than they might be than if the same complex was placed somewhere in Tokyo or Amsterdam.

As a european I've always been shocked traveling in the US (mostly CA) by the dimensions of single family houses, the dimensions of the neighborhoods, it was just hard to assimilate and to move around. It was interesting to watch this because for us is just the most obvious housing to build. Of course Im not saying that's the best way and we definitely have housing problems in Europe but I don't think we'd have that strong reaction looking at a massive building, it's the norm

Brownstones were designed to avoid the terrible “great fires” that rampaged major cities constructed of wood

I'm an urban planning student in a medium-sized city in Canada and there's an interesting pattern that happens here. We build affordable housing that is supposed to be rent-capped by the city council to ensure it is affordable, then the landlords in charge get high bids for units and realize that they can get more than the rent cap, they raise the rent from say, $600 to $1100 per unit to meet that new demand, the city does nothing to stop this, the buildings stay forever at 1/3rd occupancy because not everybody can afford that, and affordable housing is considered a failure. We are just finalizing a revolutionary transit system and have selected several business lots along the routes to be turned into low-income housing, capped again at $610/month. My profs assure me that this same pattern won't repeat with this new housing, but I think it will. I guess we'll see in 5 years.

I personally think these buildings look beautiful, modern and cozy. People should take a walk around their cities and see how disgusting were all the cheap and affordable buildings from the 60's to the early 90's. New buildings pretending to be victorian or just vintage style are the true gentrification, they are impossible to be build in a cheap way. And people never complain about them. Lookfor example at abandoned industrial buildings turned into rich people lofts..