Novare eyes key Midtown corner for new tower (Atlanta: apartment, construction)

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Maybe to a point.

But understand that though a current flavor of the month, high density living isn't universally praised as a good thing. It's not like it's a new thing, we've been down this road plenty of times, cities have existed for hundreds of years.

It's not wholesale better to simply have more people. At least, not everybody thinks so.

Health, Happiness, and Density | Newgeography.com

With respect to Atlanta, that article misses the mark in several ways. We're talking about increased density in Atlanta's core and in all likelihood that's never going to reach European levels of density, which is what many of the studies referenced focus on. Outside of NYC (and even then, probably just Manhattan), not even the densest America cities are at those levels.

And density isn't the "current flavor of the month;" it's been the default way to build cities up until the post-war era in America in particular. You can't dismiss thousands of years of urban living, look at the past four decades or so, and conclude that the way things have always been done is the "current flavor of the month." If anything, that label would apply to sprawl.

Higher densities, with adequate supporting physical and human infrastructure, is simply the most efficient use of land in urban areas--which is why cities have been built the way they have been for centuries.

[ATLTJL]

We might know different single person households.

Most single people I know eventually outgrow 700 square feet, even when they stay single. And most single people, once they reach their 30s, like to have a spare bedroom to put friends and family in when they come visit.

Crashing on the couch only works in your 20s.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but even single people generally want 2 bedrooms once they become grown-ups.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

We might know different single person households.

Most single people I know eventually outgrow 700 square feet, even when they stay single. And most single people, once they reach their 30s, like to have a spare bedroom to put friends and family in when they come visit.

Crashing on the couch only works in your 20s.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but even single people generally want 2 bedrooms once they become grown-ups.

Yup. As arjay would say, elbow room is important to plenty of folks. Even city dwellers.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Yup. As arjay would say, elbow room is important to plenty of folks. Even city dwellers.

Elbow room =/= keep vacant lots/surface parking lots/low densities near transit stations from being redeveloped.

[midtown mile girl]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

We might know different single person households.

Most single people I know eventually outgrow 700 square feet, even when they stay single. And most single people, once they reach their 30s, like to have a spare bedroom to put friends and family in when they come visit.

Crashing on the couch only works in your 20s.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but even single people generally want 2 bedrooms once they become grown-ups.

I am a single woman over 40, and I bought a one bedroom to keep relatives from trying to move in with me.

[ATLTJL]

No offense, but that's the single worst reason I have ever heard or could possibly fathom for buying a one bedroom condo.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Gulch

Elbow room =/= keep vacant lots/surface parking lots/low densities near transit stations from being redeveloped.

Right. I mean do people seriously think SFR should be developed on all those surface/underutilized lots in Midtown???

[midtown mile girl]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

No offense, but that's the single worst reason I have ever heard or could possibly fathom for buying a one bedroom condo.

It's not the only reason. A one bedroom has a lower tax rate and hoa fee (when the hoa fee is based on square footage)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Right. I mean do people seriously think SFR should be developed on all those surface/underutilized lots in Midtown???

There's a lot of room between SFH and a 30 story tower filled with 700 sf apartments.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by arjay57

There's a lot of room between SFH and a 30 story tower filled with 700 sf apartments.

Most of what we're seeing go up are midrise mixed-use structures which still increase density levels. I can't believe some people are making it seem like every single new development going up in Midtown is 30 stories plus and that this is turning the area into a mini-Manhattan where there's no "elbow room."