Obese Houses

Cover of the Louisville, Kentucky alternative newspaper, LEO.

Robert Samuelson's column in the Post from a couple days ago, "Homes as Hummers," discusses the phenomenon of the increased size of the average U.S. house, despite the fact that the number of people living in the average household continues to decrease.

"We Americans seem to be in the process of becoming wildly overhoused. Since 1970 the size of the average home has increased 55 percent (to 2,330 square feet), while the size of the average family has decreased 13 percent. Especially among the upper crust, homes have more space and fewer people. We now have rooms specialized by appliances (home computers, entertainment systems and exercise equipment) and -- who knows? -- may soon reserve them for pets. The long-term consequences of this housing extravaganza are unclear, but they may include the overuse of energy and, ironically, a drain on homeowners' wealth.

By and large, the new American home is a residential SUV. It's big, gadget-loaded and slightly gaudy. In 2001 about one in eight homes exceeded 3,500 square feet, which was more than triple the average new home in 1950 (983 square feet). We have gone beyond shelter and comfort. A home is now a lifestyle. Buyers want spiral staircases and vaulted ceilings. In one marketing survey by the National Association of Home Builders, 36 percent of buyers under age 35 rated having a "home theater" as important or very important. (...)

One way or another, Americans might want to reassess whether their passion for ever-bigger homes is good for them and the nation. Do we need to go from SUVs to Hummers? Maybe we should revert to sedans."

Also see "This New House" from the March/April issue of Mother Jones Magazine. (as discussed in the April blog archives).

Dozens camp out for new homes. Elizabeth Conley / The Detroit NewsRao Ravipati of Novi, left, and Raj Sunkavalli of Ann Arbor hold their spots for Northville Township's Arcadia Ridge Gardens.

Andres Duany and New Urbanism in Louisville-Jefferson-Oldham Counties, Kentucky. Photo from LEO Weekly. Smarter sprawl or smart growth?