In order to curtail sprawl there needs to be an alternative to the suburbs. So much of our cities is taken up by endless one-or-two storey single-family homes, but most denser developments are either basically the same format (townhomes) or small highrise apartments designed for singles or couples.
What could density designed for the future of urban families look like? Not that none of this already exists, of course, but it seems to get less focus because this "kind of person" wants to buy. To own a home. But what could entice them away from that?
What cannot work is cloning the suburbs in town -- if the car remains primary and spaces remain large and private and wasteful then very little has been gained.
Definitions
- "Walking distance" -- 10 minute walk or less
- "Easy bike" -- 3 minutes or less on protected infrastructure
- "Biking distance" -- 20 minute bike ride or less for average cyclist
Location
- Walking distance to rapid transit network (subway, LRT, BRT, whoever)
- Walking distance to a park (ideally with a playground)
- Walking distance to real grocery store (corner store, drug store, specialty grocer do not count)
- Easy bike to main bicycle network
- Biking distance to public library (on network if possible)
- Biking distance to a major park (on network if possible)
Unit size and quantity
80 m² consisting of:
- 3 "bedrooms" (or 2 bedrooms and an office, etc) of 11m² each
- 11m² kitchen
- 25m² living + dining + entertaining area
- 11m² for other space (bathroom, hallways, etc)
This should make it possible to fit three units per storey on a easy enough to find lot size + three storeys for 9 units in the building.
Amenities
Security
Main building access open to all -- people can walk right up to your door, just like a house. Apartment door is fob-entry, as are other secure parts of the building.
Stairs + Elevator
Elevator may be required for legal reasons or to not be a jerk to wheelchair users. Should not be front-facing at main door as though it is "the way", however, with stairs being very accessible and not tucked away as a fire escape only.
Laundry
In-suite laundry is the obvious choice (though may require a small boost in space above), but finding a sane way to do shared laundry is intriguing. Would allow better machines to be used more cheaply by sharing 2 washers + 2 dryers amongst the units. Also would allow easier servicing without needing unit access.
Obviously coin-operated laundry is out. Laundry is unlikely to be enough of a utility drain to bill for it at all. More research is needed -- there must be existing shared-laundry facilities that aren't terrible.
Parking
One level underground. Large fully-caged and video-surveilled area with fob entry for bicycle lockup. 120V outlets in bicycle lockup for ebike/scooter/etc charging. 120V and 240V outlets at car spaces for EV charging (bring your own charger).
No car parking spaces included in rent, they cost extra.
Large set of video-surveilled ground-level outdoor "inverted U" bicycle racks.
Data
Whole building wired with Cat6 for Ethernet + building-wide WiFi. At least one Ethernet jack in every room (excluding bathrooms, hallways, closets etc). All Ethernet jacks in an apartment go through a router physically in the apartment, which treats the building-wide network as WAN. Cat6 feed to the apartment can be switched to pipe "cable" or "phone" signal instead of the building-wide network for bring-your-own-ISP tenants.
Wire living/entertaining area with end-to-end disconnected Cat6 line for moving video/audio signal inside the room if desired -- and with ports for 7.1 surround sound speakers if desired.
Storage
Rentable extra storage locker space on parking level.
Breakers
Breaker panel for each apartment in the apartment itself.
Shared Items
It may be reasonable or useful to have building-wide shared resources that are either included in main rent or for a small additional fee, including:
- A van (for moving stuff or people when needed)
- A couple folding e-bikes (for guests or longer trips)
- A tool library (or locate close to a public one if available)