I like these ideas. The idea of more courtyards for apartment buildings can provide better communal space, places to have a common garden, play area and such. I like the reasoning behind 4-story buildings being the ideal size. I think that should be adopted by more urban planning departments. I like the general idea of opening suburb yard space to create a better connection to neighbours. However, I do wonder a few things: What about this design in cold climates that get a lot of snow in the winter? Like, where I am from, there can be a LOT of snow on the ground and what would happen to the courtyard space? Would the snow have a good place to drain? Or maybe there is a use for that snow, like collection to a tank for plant watering later in the year? What about people's pets? The fences people have sometimes make it easier for the dogs to be let out in the backyard, do their thing and then come back to the house safely. And what if people still DO want some privacy? I'm a pretty minimalistic person and enjoy a good bit of community time, but once I got to stay in a condo with a small pool in the backyard with my family. It was fenced off and so we used it whenever we wanted. It was really nice and comfortable. It wasn't an extravagant pool/hot tub but it was really nice to just have that bit of privacy and self-control over when and how we used it. So, I'm all for more access for people, because now, back at home, I definitely don't have my own pool, but sometimes it would be nice to know of a close-by pool I could rent out and use sometimes, but with permission. I guess I'd just like to see more acknowledgement of questions and concerns that might be raised from these cool, innovative ideas.
This is not a bad idea. If every block or two was with an inner court where children could play safely while grand parents could sit and read it would be a great idea for all future building projects and for renos of past mistakes.
That would definitely be really cool. There's often a perceived tension between having inexpensive apartments, green space, and quiet. But this is a really elegant solution.
This has much of the original Barcelona superblocks as they were intended. While they are still a great example of communal building, they are not anymore as they were intended, which makes me kinda sad. It looked like a concept where you dont need to change anything but only expand the city if needed. Then again, I'm not a professional when it comes to city planning or architecture.
Born in Romania, I had a childhood and neighborhood exactly as described here. I loved it. Now living in Pasadena, CA, I only know 1 neighbor, but I've never had a meal with any of them. It feels very isolating.
It happened something similar to me when I moved from Seville to Madrid. I always blamed it on the cultural differences but Seville urban structure actually has almost everything the architects were talking about.
That is a big difference and a bummer. I think that times have changed within the US itself, too. When I grew up in the 80s and 90s, we knew most of our neighbors up and down the street, the kids played together, my next door neighbor was the neighborhood babysitter, we looked after each other's houses when one neighbor was out of town, and when developers were planning to ruin the neighborhood, neighbors came together to fight the development. Now, I barely know or talk to any of my neighbors and dislike some of them due to noise, rudeness, etc. I only know one person's name. I live in a different place but I think that's a pretty common experience across the US.
@@tkfg331 I agree. I think it's getting even more extreme and isolating with social media. Or is it anti-social media? Just wait for VR and the metaverse and robots. I think it'll get even worse.
I lived in many neighborhoods like from the video with mid rise buildings and their own inside yards in Eastern Europe but I never knew my neighbors or never saw any collective work in the community so I think you can have a great involved neighborhood with single family houses or dense buildings, tho the US would benefit from building more dense neighborhoods because it would create more affordable housing and take some cars from the road but it doesn’t really change the fact if you know your neighborhoods or not
I've got a friend whose family owned a couple houses next to each other. They joined their back yards and made a gorgeous 'park' which is greater than the sum of its parts. Honestly, I wish more people could do that.
As a North American who has lived in both Copenhagen and Berlin, I can safely say that a thoughtful, mixed-use, multi-modal, approach to housing is objectively better for residents. It's so sad moving back and seeing endless rows of soulless suburbs.
Love seeing people in neighborhoods creating their own spaces in response to a planning layout that ignores, by design, what most would probably prefer. I'm a fan of this type of content, so you've made a subscriber out of me. Thanks for the post.
I think a good experiment for urban planners is to just leave out empty patches of land/ space and allow the people to utilize and shape it in the ways they need and want it - and not design everything to have a predetermined purpose. It's a good alternative if planners cannot have a good involvement of the occupants while a place is still being planned out.
Yea and if the city wants some more developed structure in that space, first let the people do with the land as they please and then get proper builders/construction in to build a "to code" space
That's basically where modern planning is headed toward, at least with regard to land uses. Now we're looking at form-based codes, which covers a lot of what this video brings up: building heights, alleyways, courtyards, balcony requirements, etc. It really emphasizes how people experience the built environment and let's developers and stakeholders fill-in the gaps with what kinds of things the neighborhood (or market) wants.
That's a really cool idea - and isn't far off how cities used to be built (and still are in places like favelas). In many countries, zoning really restricts flexibility and means that places can't adapt to new needs or opportunities that arise after the plan is created. But as @AAA mentions, Japan has a very different approach that has been very successful, allowing more walkable and pleasant communities--with surprisingly reasonable housing costs, as well. urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html
@@Ccnytro That is not true, modern planning is based on displacement ! how disconnected of real word can you be , cities always have been places of displacement.
This reminds me of something the video game historian referenced in his tribute to the life of Satoru Iwata, it's an anecdote from the relationship between Shigeru Miyamoto and Iwata wherein the lesson is that if you make something that people don't "get" then it is 100% your fault. I will add to that by saying that we must design better. Not to be admired by fellow designers, or to satisfy our own vanity but for the betterment of both those who will use our creations and those who will be exposed to them. The question must always be, how does this design facilitate the betterment of life for the people who will incorporate it into their lives. Boots on the ground, then pencil to plan.
I LOVE this episode. I just purchased a single family home, but was partially sad that I wouldn't have some connection. I really like that project where the 4 neighbors created a common space in their backyards. I hope to have a similar experience.
I have lived on the belt line in Atlanta and Austin. The happiest I have ever been in my life was living on a belt line with access to every restaurant, parks, bar, work, etc. no car needed. Just a bike. Tons of community events. Free movie nights and yoga and blues on the greens. Sadly the lowest rent reached 2,000 dollars for a studio and now it’s become less and less realistic.
People need People. Here in America, we have ignored that and promoted isolation. Now, most of the country hates each other, and depression and suicide rates are as high as ever. And to make matters worse, Covid sped that idea of isolation up ever faster.
If we could have shared backyards, bigger front porches, community gardens, and community land trusts with and protected sidewalks/ bike lanes to schools and main streets - Our American culture and consciousness could dramatically shift.
Great video! The balconies in Europe! I remember a meme from early covid during quarantine, after those videos of neighbors playing music together from their balconies, which said, "We get it Europe, you all have balconies!" The Oakland community looks really cool. There's an artist in Fresno who did something similar with her neighbors and it's amazing, a green oasis in the midst of the concrete desert jungle. Anyway, great alternatives and examples in this video. PS Solarpunk
that’s why i want to be an urban planner to do things like this. i know it will be hard, because american lawmakers are all paid off by oil/car companies. they don’t want these communities, because it makes them less money.
@@fl0pZ3 You've got an uphill battle because there is pressure to be cut and paste, or like our cityplanner take money under the table to approve really crappy variances.
This year, some Trump types bought one of the homes and have Trumpian meetups, wear those MAGA hats and invite over friends from their 'megachurch'. Now what do you think about the magic?
As an introvert, I think it would be nice to have a house where one yard (the front or back) is shared and the other half of the yard is fenced-in and private. That way, I can choose when to be outdoors in a quiet, private space, and when to go into a shared outdoor space where I might encounter people. It would be the best of both worlds.
Marvelous in the simplicity of the concept, incredibly challenging if not nearly impossible in reality. Zoning codes, building codes, fire separations, emergency responders access, disabled access, etc., all of these things need to come together and be resolved to achieve this idea. Can this be done? Certainly it can. However, many of these organic communities where people are allowed to build their own spaces need to be done in such a way to protect the life safety and well-being of all residents, visitors, and the general public need to be carefully considered. If someone, accidentally, starts a fire in their residence what prevents the whole community from going up in flames. Does the neighborhood come together and pay for replacing the lost residence. These are all issues that often take years to resolve. Our laws and codes are their for a reason but they will complicate the spontaneity of creation of these types of communities.
I predict in the future we will see more community based efforts to build their neighborhoods into a desirable living space. As architects may have to settle and listen to people on what they want vs the egocentric mindset of the delusion greedy architects. A community based neighborhood is greener, more sustainable and you know your local neighbors.. This is called, micro communities. This often depicts a future of a SolarPunk narrative, a community based effort to help each other rather then competing or fighting against one another.
I think it's important to know how to desingn places to make them lveable, but it's also the key to know WHERE they're going to be and what kind of uses are going to provide. This would give a more holistic vision of human assentments and the way they function, and in this case the role of and architect but also a GEOGRAPHER would be the solution. Traditionally the profession of the geographer has not been recognized beyond teaching, but we deserve a greater weight in decision-making and contribute in other ways to society.
Hmmm disagree.. it's about the person too me. DC made Brand New beautiful public housing that actually has setups similar to this...... You should see it now.
These are excellent ideas! The first step, at least in most of the US, will have to be allowing the people who live in a home to have property rights to the home. If people don't have the agency to customize their backyards then its likely due to landlords or corporate powers having the rights to land they don't personally use except for profit.
Halfway through I immediately made the connection of getting rid of fences in neighborhoods. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now. It's basically a courtyard for the suburbs. It would work better in more organicly shaped neighborhoods, as opposed to grid like neighborhoods.
I tend to agree.. the old city of Amsterdam, which tends to conform with this building model, is easily the most beautiful city that I have ever visited.
Mayra Madriz is my hero! Finally someone else speaking up for the ideas and contributions of the regular people and calling out the elitism of central planning. And she's in California, the capital of "Government should decide things for people and no such thing as fees that are too high and bad restrictions"
Great video! Super interesting explanation and cool visuals. The favela like area in Argentina looks very communal and seems like a great space for families
I think 4 is a luxury that a very sparse country like the US can afford. It’s dense enough to support public transit but not too dense so as to feel crowded or isolating. With city states like singapore and denser countries, you probably want to optimize with more stories, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary.
Walking and biking is very difficult in most suburbs of America. My neighborhood is cut off by a large avenue with only 3 cross walks to access the park. It's very dangerous and very uncomfortable to cross. I would love to use my bike more often when going to the market and things like that, but the only sidewalk available connecting my home and the markets is a tiny sidewalk nestled alongside a very congested avenue.
I used to think that my homeland of California’s practice of single family zoning and suburbs was bad… but now I see it as an opportunity… entire blocks of homes are owned by a few home owners who live there and who can decide to create Coops and be creative. multi family lots are owned by investor corporations so are controlled by people who do not want this and are anti cooperative and anti affordable housing. However if the local politics support it we can convince a couple of blocks of home owners to reform the suburbs in new ways that investors would never support but perhaps individual home owners and mom and pop landlords could see the value in… there are win win situations so long as major corporate landlords and traditional syndications and families of insane wealth are not setting the parameters and controlling the development of our world
It's shared culture that connects people not architecture. You can have architecture meant to isolate but if the people actually like each other they'll connect and on the other end you can have architecture meant to connect but no one wants to talk to their neighbours.
Missing the whole point. A community of shared culture in an isolated environment is still going to be more disconnected than in one meant for connection. Also I reject the idea that a culturally diverse environment creates isolation.
The 20th and 21st centuries have been plagued by the arrogant architect who designs despite the wishes of the community, who creates environments people do not like and sees that as a positive, because they know and the commoner does not.
More like we demolished cities and rebuilt them for cars making cities inherirtly hostile to human beings. Designing cities around vehicles is the problem, cities are for people not for cars!
Baugruppen. Common in Germany. Multi-family homes cenetered around shared amenities like a communal kitchen and courtyard. My dream. Affordable living close to people in a similar life stage.
So density, and a communion feel is retired for culture to grow, however I feel as though you are missing something out, walk-ability and bike-ability of a city I know it's outside of your control but still I thought to mention it. Both of these will make the streets feel more communal (with density) due to the less cars on the road.
How do you group up people in new buildings with common areas when they don't know each other and encourage them to get along? What if they don't? Do you maybe present the building as communal only? Does it affect the value? How could it possibly scale up then? I love empathetic architecture design, I've always applied the same concept in my game level design and even as a kid when I would play with Lego's. Maybe it's time to decentralize architecture design projects with web3 and crypto? In the end, I'm sure most people would like a say in how their home is designed, and it would be great to give the power back to the people more locally in the decisive process, pros could always take over for building up to code.
There you go value. If one doesn't like a neighbor so be it. If your truly an adult and have a conscience one would forego their dislike of another on the betterment of the whole. It's called intrinsic mutual respect. Meaning you don't have to like someone to know they hold the same value as you.
Also maybe that neighbor is struggling just to be happy in a crappy world. What if giving your friendship helps them. You can't say you know what's going on in people's lives around you if you don't present yourself to them. It's that simple. You want a better community get out there knock on doors say hi. Throw a barbecue invite the neighborhood for dinner or invite a make it a potluck if your not in funds. But do something. Sitting there saying I don't know anyone is a cry baby excuse into not creating a cohesive neighborhood. Then meet greet and understand those we may not feel all sunshiny towards still deserve respect as a living being
People historically was living in communities, you are thinking backward. Is not " how encourage them to get along" is how to give social houses to people that already have communities. Cities always have been spaces of displacement of many communities. Affordable social house projects where communities can live with dignity , that is the REAL challenge of architects.
While your own back yard may be the first place you instinctual reach for, it's not impractical to make friends with someone in a different building or to instead find your way into other public areas. A well built area (courtyards and all) can provide a fairly reasonable set of options for where you hang out and who you interact with. People will start clubs. There will be places to walk to and from. I'm sure it wouldn't take too much for an individual who doesn't mesh to occupy themselves elsewhere.
For me the perfect neighborhood would be mixed levels (1 to 3 story buildings with parks on top of them) with multiple parks and walkways at the ground level as well. The other edges of each neighborhood would be where the streets would be for the cars. Edit: there also needs to be little "nooks" or central areas where you can enjoy nature and kids can play.
I've been interested in communal living for a while. I think it's key to being better human beings and key to raising kids (two parents cannot possibly instill all the right values, better to be mix mashed with other views/ideas/behaviors). No idea how to do it other than if I could pool money with hypothetical people to build a commune. No one I know wants to. If I had the money to build and own on my own, I'm sure it would attract people to partner and move in.
Austin and Atlanta (belt-line neighborhoods) need to be the blueprints but we have to build greener, more unique buildings, higher and more affordable.
To all of you people who are against the idea of living in a dense, shared community because you prefer to have privacy and separation from obnoxious neighbors: That’s just fine, you can keep living in your isolated neighborhoods if that’s what you think is within your interests. But that doesn’t mean shared communities shouldn’t exist for anyone. There should still be a choice between the two. No one is trying to force you to live in a space shared with your neighbors that you don’t want to live in. We are simply trying to make these neighborhoods an option for those who actually want to live in them.
Subhodayam. "We may impress others through effective speaking. But let us understand the truth. The gist of the truth is good action. Let us have courage to act honestly. Sri Swamy Samarth Ramdas in Sri Manache Shlok (152). In today's media and advertising dominated world, many things masquerade as the absolute truth. Reality is, truth needs no selling! The more the noise, the more the deviation. Be honest, be truthful, be sincere. Whatever be the situation, your conduct makes the difference. Remember, truth eventually prevails! God bless us all.
This doesn’t work everywhere tho, I live in a community mostly of elderly and I’m in my 20s. We’re both glad to habe our own space people still Talk to each other trough the fences but a town should have more areas where you can chill and socialise I between
Yes, I understand this concept as we live in a society that embodies much of this philosophy. But there is a danger if the philosophy is not managed or implemented correct. One example is if the implementation creates a tribal effect, which would create more conflict and less inclusivity.
I feel like lots of people doing the designing don't have the attachments to the area or live there. its about money, not community/neighborhoods and good city planning for them. the way we design neighborhoods isn't from scratch anymore. its slow and expansive so its more random. if it is from scratch unless it has like a special intent [like Malmo in sweden] its more impersonal and lacking authenticity
This doesn’t work everywhere tho, I live in a community mostly of elderly and I’m in my 20s. We’re both glad to habe our own space people still Talk to each other trough the fences
1:37 David Sim says the ideal height of a building is 4 stories and proceeds to list out the reasons why but doesn't get into any reason why any multi story building whether it be 2 to 100 stories is a negative to the human experience. But then again, he is an "urban expert". Let's go "first principles" on the concept of a city. buildings whether they are 4 stories or 10 stories will block out the natural landscape and sky. Not great. Also having strangers live above, to the side and above you. Also not great. Overall all lack of privacy. Lots of compromise. Let's also consider the friction that is generated between the different modes of transportation within a city (bike, walking, car, tram). Then again, I have a problem with core fundamental aspects of reality. Primarily the fact that teleportation doesn't exist. This very fact causes so many damn problems.
I have 150m to the next Supermarket 300m to when im lazy i can use the bus which is 100m from my house to the tramway Station with 3 lines, in 6 Stations I come to the mixed Station for metro or train, when im on my street I can use the Bus and drive 2 Stations down of go 450m down where I have something like a strip mall With a Supermarket, bakery, Trafik( it a licensed store where you can buy tobacco products, buy newspapers and magazines and if im correct also tickets and parking tickets well not all stores sell tickets or at leasti cant remeber), a leather shop for leather products repairing and keymaker, a dry cleaning service, a barber but im not sure if it's still operate, postoffice and bank but they closed it now you have a small turkish market, and a pharmacy. On the other side outside the stripmall type of thing you have a drugist, chemist, another store a pizzeria and a Café.
I fw this idea but solar so the whole community owns their own power staying away from utility inflation and is running on clean energy. It used to be expensive but the government is giving 5-30k to homeowners to go solar and the switch is 0 out of pocket so they set it up to switch and lower what you’d be paying on your current light bill but the main reason I think it’s smart for a community to get solar is that whenever you’re done paying the cost of the panels in 10-15 years you don’t pay that price anymore instead of sticking to an electric company for the rest of your life.🤷🏿♂️
Do you like this approach to building neighborhoods?
myeah
Yep. A lot.
soviet mikrodistrik vs usa sub urban
1:37 Khrushchyovka have 5 stories building.
7:26 incredible rich
I like these ideas. The idea of more courtyards for apartment buildings can provide better communal space, places to have a common garden, play area and such. I like the reasoning behind 4-story buildings being the ideal size. I think that should be adopted by more urban planning departments. I like the general idea of opening suburb yard space to create a better connection to neighbours.
However, I do wonder a few things: What about this design in cold climates that get a lot of snow in the winter? Like, where I am from, there can be a LOT of snow on the ground and what would happen to the courtyard space? Would the snow have a good place to drain? Or maybe there is a use for that snow, like collection to a tank for plant watering later in the year?
What about people's pets? The fences people have sometimes make it easier for the dogs to be let out in the backyard, do their thing and then come back to the house safely. And what if people still DO want some privacy? I'm a pretty minimalistic person and enjoy a good bit of community time, but once I got to stay in a condo with a small pool in the backyard with my family. It was fenced off and so we used it whenever we wanted. It was really nice and comfortable. It wasn't an extravagant pool/hot tub but it was really nice to just have that bit of privacy and self-control over when and how we used it. So, I'm all for more access for people, because now, back at home, I definitely don't have my own pool, but sometimes it would be nice to know of a close-by pool I could rent out and use sometimes, but with permission.
I guess I'd just like to see more acknowledgement of questions and concerns that might be raised from these cool, innovative ideas.
HELL YEAH I LOVE THIS SERIES
This is not a bad idea. If every block or two was with an inner court where children could play safely while grand parents could sit and read it would be a great idea for all future building projects and for renos of past mistakes.
That would definitely be really cool. There's often a perceived tension between having inexpensive apartments, green space, and quiet. But this is a really elegant solution.
This has much of the original Barcelona superblocks as they were intended. While they are still a great example of communal building, they are not anymore as they were intended, which makes me kinda sad. It looked like a concept where you dont need to change anything but only expand the city if needed. Then again, I'm not a professional when it comes to city planning or architecture.
Well... Welcome to Europe?
Sounds exactly like where I lived in China! Loved our life there! (Edit: obviously except the height! The buildings were much taller than 4 stories!)
@@Gabrong Just came to say this is pretty much the standard in Europe, I see you beat me to it, köszönöm.
Born in Romania, I had a childhood and neighborhood exactly as described here. I loved it.
Now living in Pasadena, CA, I only know 1 neighbor, but I've never had a meal with any of them. It feels very isolating.
It happened something similar to me when I moved from Seville to Madrid. I always blamed it on the cultural differences but Seville urban structure actually has almost everything the architects were talking about.
That is a big difference and a bummer. I think that times have changed within the US itself, too. When I grew up in the 80s and 90s, we knew most of our neighbors up and down the street, the kids played together, my next door neighbor was the neighborhood babysitter, we looked after each other's houses when one neighbor was out of town, and when developers were planning to ruin the neighborhood, neighbors came together to fight the development. Now, I barely know or talk to any of my neighbors and dislike some of them due to noise, rudeness, etc. I only know one person's name. I live in a different place but I think that's a pretty common experience across the US.
@@pongop : What you are saying makes complete sense. I think this is happening perhaps all over the world as video games and TicTok take over.
@@tkfg331 I agree. I think it's getting even more extreme and isolating with social media. Or is it anti-social media? Just wait for VR and the metaverse and robots. I think it'll get even worse.
I lived in many neighborhoods like from the video with mid rise buildings and their own inside yards in Eastern Europe but I never knew my neighbors or never saw any collective work in the community so I think you can have a great involved neighborhood with single family houses or dense buildings, tho the US would benefit from building more dense neighborhoods because it would create more affordable housing and take some cars from the road but it doesn’t really change the fact if you know your neighborhoods or not
I've got a friend whose family owned a couple houses next to each other. They joined their back yards and made a gorgeous 'park' which is greater than the sum of its parts. Honestly, I wish more people could do that.
Why is it greater? Says who?
@@topsuperseven7910 says me. And because the larger area allows for paths structures and water features too large to fit in one yard.
@@limbodog "Its bigger space for single bigger stuff.
wow you're a real genius. we may need your advice on terraforming mars or organizing cupboards.
@@topsuperseven7910 I don't knew what you were expecting. But you sound like a petulant child
@@topsuperseven7910 wow, how unnecessarily unpleasant
As a North American who has lived in both Copenhagen and Berlin, I can safely say that a thoughtful, mixed-use, multi-modal, approach to housing is objectively better for residents. It's so sad moving back and seeing endless rows of soulless suburbs.
I like how the dude is called David Sim. He is basically designing a real Sim City.
Lol. "You merely adopted Sim City, I was born into it"
He wrote the book called Soft City, which is like the Bible for urban planners.
@@tonysoviet3692 The title of his book is a bit flaccid in my opinion, but I can see where he was going with it. 😅
Love seeing people in neighborhoods creating their own spaces in response to a planning layout that ignores, by design, what most would probably prefer. I'm a fan of this type of content, so you've made a subscriber out of me. Thanks for the post.
Can i recommend you funny Science-RUclipsrs?
Or is that offer too random?
7:00 wtf how does that CGI look so good
It’s probably Unreal Engine 4 or 5.
Right?! I thought it was part of the yard at first!
Yes, that stumped me for a bit. Like "Why do they have that giant sign in their yard?" Ahhh.
The community park the neighbours created in Oakland looks amazing.
No one is talking about how nice the narrators voice is. Another wonderful video from freethink
I say something about him pretty much every video his in, probably my favorite narrator from freethink.
The narrator sounds almost like the guy running ‘Not just bikes’ channel.
@@carthick1000 I can see that a little bit
love how the oakland dudes had an idea and made something so amazing happen.
Yes it's awesome, although I think it could be a little more orderly and organized
@@greenmachine5600 "you think" maybe to me them its organized and orderly, ever thought about that?
I think a good experiment for urban planners is to just leave out empty patches of land/ space and allow the people to utilize and shape it in the ways they need and want it - and not design everything to have a predetermined purpose. It's a good alternative if planners cannot have a good involvement of the occupants while a place is still being planned out.
Yea and if the city wants some more developed structure in that space, first let the people do with the land as they please and then get proper builders/construction in to build a "to code" space
That's basically where modern planning is headed toward, at least with regard to land uses. Now we're looking at form-based codes, which covers a lot of what this video brings up: building heights, alleyways, courtyards, balcony requirements, etc. It really emphasizes how people experience the built environment and let's developers and stakeholders fill-in the gaps with what kinds of things the neighborhood (or market) wants.
That's basically what Tokyo is, and I love it
That's a really cool idea - and isn't far off how cities used to be built (and still are in places like favelas). In many countries, zoning really restricts flexibility and means that places can't adapt to new needs or opportunities that arise after the plan is created. But as @AAA mentions, Japan has a very different approach that has been very successful, allowing more walkable and pleasant communities--with surprisingly reasonable housing costs, as well. urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html
@@Ccnytro That is not true, modern planning is based on displacement ! how disconnected of real word can you be , cities always have been places of displacement.
This reminds me of something the video game historian referenced in his tribute to the life of Satoru Iwata, it's an anecdote from the relationship between
Shigeru Miyamoto and Iwata wherein the lesson is that if you make something that people don't "get" then it is 100% your fault. I will add to that by saying that we must design better. Not to be admired by fellow designers, or to satisfy our own vanity but for the betterment of both those who will use our creations and those who will be exposed to them. The question must always be, how does this design facilitate the betterment of life for the people who will incorporate it into their lives. Boots on the ground, then pencil to plan.
I LOVE this episode. I just purchased a single family home, but was partially sad that I wouldn't have some connection. I really like that project where the 4 neighbors created a common space in their backyards. I hope to have a similar experience.
I prefer townhouses for that reason
I’m with ya!!! We bought a SF detached at the beginning of lock-down and I love the quiet…but I hate being so far away from places and people.
I have lived on the belt line in Atlanta and Austin. The happiest I have ever been in my life was living on a belt line with access to every restaurant, parks, bar, work, etc. no car needed. Just a bike. Tons of community events. Free movie nights and yoga and blues on the greens. Sadly the lowest rent reached 2,000 dollars for a studio and now it’s become less and less realistic.
This is great. You guys should check out what Culdesac is doing in Arizona. Great startup, similar spirit and mission.
Thanks for the rec! Really interesting to see all the creative efforts going on in this space right now.
I love that someone actually made a fusion backyard with their neighbors.
People build places they don’t want to live in because the people building them (as in, funding the building of them) don’t live there.
People need People. Here in America, we have ignored that and promoted isolation. Now, most of the country hates each other, and depression and suicide rates are as high as ever. And to make matters worse, Covid sped that idea of isolation up ever faster.
Good. Cities need to enhance social bonds and sense of freedom for people.
If we could have shared backyards, bigger front porches, community gardens, and community land trusts with and protected sidewalks/ bike lanes to schools and main streets - Our American culture and consciousness could dramatically shift.
We totally agree.
In short : quiet court yards behind buildings.
Great video! The balconies in Europe! I remember a meme from early covid during quarantine, after those videos of neighbors playing music together from their balconies, which said, "We get it Europe, you all have balconies!" The Oakland community looks really cool. There's an artist in Fresno who did something similar with her neighbors and it's amazing, a green oasis in the midst of the concrete desert jungle. Anyway, great alternatives and examples in this video. PS Solarpunk
Why live in neighborhoods we dislike? Because we are told by government planners this is what we must do it.
that’s why i want to be an urban planner to do things like this. i know it will be hard, because american lawmakers are all paid off by oil/car companies. they don’t want these communities, because it makes them less money.
@@fl0pZ3
You've got an uphill battle because there is pressure to be cut and paste, or like our cityplanner take money under the table to approve really crappy variances.
No, that's just all there is, because rich people looking to make a quick buck have their grubby fingers all over the real estate market
I absolutely love the place in CA where 4 neighbors combined their backyards and created a magical common space.
This year, some Trump types bought one of the homes and have Trumpian meetups, wear those MAGA hats and invite over friends from their 'megachurch'. Now what do you think about the magic?
As an introvert, I think it would be nice to have a house where one yard (the front or back) is shared and the other half of the yard is fenced-in and private. That way, I can choose when to be outdoors in a quiet, private space, and when to go into a shared outdoor space where I might encounter people. It would be the best of both worlds.
Private rooftops or terraces could also help
Marvelous in the simplicity of the concept, incredibly challenging if not nearly impossible in reality. Zoning codes, building codes, fire separations, emergency responders access, disabled access, etc., all of these things need to come together and be resolved to achieve this idea. Can this be done? Certainly it can. However, many of these organic communities where people are allowed to build their own spaces need to be done in such a way to protect the life safety and well-being of all residents, visitors, and the general public need to be carefully considered. If someone, accidentally, starts a fire in their residence what prevents the whole community from going up in flames. Does the neighborhood come together and pay for replacing the lost residence. These are all issues that often take years to resolve. Our laws and codes are their for a reason but they will complicate the spontaneity of creation of these types of communities.
Balconies are so important. It's a bit of extra freedom. Space to dream, but not your bed.
I predict in the future we will see more community based efforts to build their neighborhoods into a desirable living space.
As architects may have to settle and listen to people on what they want vs the egocentric mindset of the delusion greedy architects.
A community based neighborhood is greener, more sustainable and you know your local neighbors..
This is called, micro communities.
This often depicts a future of a SolarPunk narrative, a community based effort to help each other rather then competing or fighting against one another.
I think it's important to know how to desingn places to make them lveable, but it's also the key to know WHERE they're going to be and what kind of uses are going to provide. This would give a more holistic vision of human assentments and the way they function, and in this case the role of and architect but also a GEOGRAPHER would be the solution.
Traditionally the profession of the geographer has not been recognized beyond teaching, but we deserve a greater weight in decision-making and contribute in other ways to society.
Great video on the impact your neighbourhood has on the quality of life of individuals and the community.
Hmmm disagree.. it's about the person too me. DC made Brand New beautiful public housing that actually has setups similar to this...... You should see it now.
8th - 10th floor is the best because you get amazing sky views
Brutal honesty at its finest...
These are excellent ideas! The first step, at least in most of the US, will have to be allowing the people who live in a home to have property rights to the home. If people don't have the agency to customize their backyards then its likely due to landlords or corporate powers having the rights to land they don't personally use except for profit.
Halfway through I immediately made the connection of getting rid of fences in neighborhoods. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now. It's basically a courtyard for the suburbs. It would work better in more organicly shaped neighborhoods, as opposed to grid like neighborhoods.
Not Just Bikes is a channel that has been talking about building better cities for years. You'll love his channel!
I tend to agree.. the old city of Amsterdam, which tends to conform with this building model, is easily the most beautiful city that I have ever visited.
Mayra Madriz is my hero! Finally someone else speaking up for the ideas and contributions of the regular people and calling out the elitism of central planning. And she's in California, the capital of "Government should decide things for people and no such thing as fees that are too high and bad restrictions"
Too bad NIMBYs in the US would shut these ideas all the way down
And HOAs
That was a great video that I would have never thought about!!
Great video! Super interesting explanation and cool visuals. The favela like area in Argentina looks very communal and seems like a great space for families
Still think 4 stories is too low. I think higher would be accommodate more people and leave more space for nature and shared amenities, like Singapore
It definitely depends on the area! For an American suburb, 4 is good. But for a big city like Singapore, 8-12 stories works better.
I think 4 is a luxury that a very sparse country like the US can afford. It’s dense enough to support public transit but not too dense so as to feel crowded or isolating. With city states like singapore and denser countries, you probably want to optimize with more stories, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary.
I'm really sorry, but your voice is making me cry
Walking and biking is very difficult in most suburbs of America. My neighborhood is cut off by a large avenue with only 3 cross walks to access the park. It's very dangerous and very uncomfortable to cross. I would love to use my bike more often when going to the market and things like that, but the only sidewalk available connecting my home and the markets is a tiny sidewalk nestled alongside a very congested avenue.
I have made sure to always rent an apartment with a balcony
I used to think that my homeland of California’s practice of single family zoning and suburbs was bad… but now I see it as an opportunity… entire blocks of homes are owned by a few home owners who live there and who can decide to create Coops and be creative. multi family lots are owned by investor corporations so are controlled by people who do not want this and are anti cooperative and anti affordable housing. However if the local politics support it we can convince a couple of blocks of home owners to reform the suburbs in new ways that investors would never support but perhaps individual home owners and mom and pop landlords could see the value in… there are win win situations so long as major corporate landlords and traditional syndications and families of insane wealth are not setting the parameters and controlling the development of our world
It's shared culture that connects people not architecture. You can have architecture meant to isolate but if the people actually like each other they'll connect and on the other end you can have architecture meant to connect but no one wants to talk to their neighbours.
Culture is flexible and naturaly changing, no?
@@gunjfur8633Emphasis on naturally. It's extremely difficult, slow and painful to successfully change culture artificially.
@@zinjanthropus322
Artificially?
@@gunjfur8633 Yes, top down attempts at cultural change like through architectural projects.
Missing the whole point. A community of shared culture in an isolated environment is still going to be more disconnected than in one meant for connection. Also I reject the idea that a culturally diverse environment creates isolation.
The 20th and 21st centuries have been plagued by the arrogant architect who designs despite the wishes of the community, who creates environments people do not like and sees that as a positive, because they know and the commoner does not.
It's called mixed-use zoning
Jan Gehl, Jane Jacobs, Strong Towns, Front Porch Republic. You know, if you're looking for some additional reading.
ideal architecture would be such that is equally beneficial to nature as it is to us
I think 4 stories is a bit too tall. Rowhouses of 3 stories would be great instead of apartments
I love this!
i live in an apartment. i don't like people.... i would be glad to live on the 9th floor where the road noise isn't that loud as here in the 4th floor
Those urban planners completely forgot about introverted people. I guess their city isn't for everyone like they say it is.
Your misanthropy is most likely a product of our dysfunctional, disconnected world. Something to be solved, not accepted.
@@Sauce_E9 you can't force people to "solve" problems you've diagnosed them with. live and let live.
@@snowcloudshinobiNot liking people as a whole is not normal human behavior. We are social creatures.
@@Sauce_E9 not all people are "normal" and just want to be left alone.
the reason we have cities we don't want to live in is because we have made the huge mistake to trust architects with the work.
More like we demolished cities and rebuilt them for cars making cities inherirtly hostile to human beings. Designing cities around vehicles is the problem, cities are for people not for cars!
Where does Jan Gehl live? Does he live in a single family home or in one of his multi-family projects?
Great video and great ideas
we need balconies because everyone needs to have access to outdoor spaces
Yes, it’s a human right....
Is it not legally required?
Baugruppen. Common in Germany. Multi-family homes cenetered around shared amenities like a communal kitchen and courtyard.
My dream. Affordable living close to people in a similar life stage.
love this, so inspiring
So density, and a communion feel is retired for culture to grow, however I feel as though you are missing something out, walk-ability and bike-ability of a city I know it's outside of your control but still I thought to mention it.
Both of these will make the streets feel more communal (with density) due to the less cars on the road.
Any guy who likes a Japanese maple is a winner in my book. Dwarf Japanese maple is a plus.
How do you group up people in new buildings with common areas when they don't know each other and encourage them to get along? What if they don't? Do you maybe present the building as communal only? Does it affect the value? How could it possibly scale up then? I love empathetic architecture design, I've always applied the same concept in my game level design and even as a kid when I would play with Lego's. Maybe it's time to decentralize architecture design projects with web3 and crypto? In the end, I'm sure most people would like a say in how their home is designed, and it would be great to give the power back to the people more locally in the decisive process, pros could always take over for building up to code.
There you go value. If one doesn't like a neighbor so be it. If your truly an adult and have a conscience one would forego their dislike of another on the betterment of the whole. It's called intrinsic mutual respect. Meaning you don't have to like someone to know they hold the same value as you.
Also maybe that neighbor is struggling just to be happy in a crappy world. What if giving your friendship helps them. You can't say you know what's going on in people's lives around you if you don't present yourself to them. It's that simple. You want a better community get out there knock on doors say hi. Throw a barbecue invite the neighborhood for dinner or invite a make it a potluck if your not in funds. But do something. Sitting there saying I don't know anyone is a cry baby excuse into not creating a cohesive neighborhood. Then meet greet and understand those we may not feel all sunshiny towards still deserve respect as a living being
People historically was living in communities, you are thinking backward. Is not " how encourage them to get along" is how to give social houses to people that already have communities. Cities always have been spaces of displacement of many communities. Affordable social house projects where communities can live with dignity , that is the REAL challenge of architects.
And the environmental and economic impact of cryptocurrencies for sure will not help.
While your own back yard may be the first place you instinctual reach for, it's not impractical to make friends with someone in a different building or to instead find your way into other public areas. A well built area (courtyards and all) can provide a fairly reasonable set of options for where you hang out and who you interact with. People will start clubs. There will be places to walk to and from. I'm sure it wouldn't take too much for an individual who doesn't mesh to occupy themselves elsewhere.
For me the perfect neighborhood would be mixed levels (1 to 3 story buildings with parks on top of them) with multiple parks and walkways at the ground level as well. The other edges of each neighborhood would be where the streets would be for the cars.
Edit: there also needs to be little "nooks" or central areas where you can enjoy nature and kids can play.
I've been interested in communal living for a while. I think it's key to being better human beings and key to raising kids (two parents cannot possibly instill all the right values, better to be mix mashed with other views/ideas/behaviors). No idea how to do it other than if I could pool money with hypothetical people to build a commune. No one I know wants to. If I had the money to build and own on my own, I'm sure it would attract people to partner and move in.
Austin and Atlanta (belt-line neighborhoods) need to be the blueprints but we have to build greener, more unique buildings, higher and more affordable.
It depends on the people, if you remove the basketballers, then you remove the problem
great channel, im subbed before 1mil subs
To all of you people who are against the idea of living in a dense, shared community because you prefer to have privacy and separation from obnoxious neighbors:
That’s just fine, you can keep living in your isolated neighborhoods if that’s what you think is within your interests. But that doesn’t mean shared communities shouldn’t exist for anyone. There should still be a choice between the two.
No one is trying to force you to live in a space shared with your neighbors that you don’t want to live in. We are simply trying to make these neighborhoods an option for those who actually want to live in them.
Always Great Content 👨🌾
Appreciate that!
That guy gets an interesting voice, seriously..... in a good way:)
Subhodayam.
"We may impress others through effective speaking. But let us understand the truth. The gist of the truth is good action. Let us have courage to act honestly. Sri Swamy Samarth Ramdas in Sri Manache Shlok (152).
In today's media and advertising dominated world, many things masquerade as the absolute truth. Reality is, truth needs no selling! The more the noise, the more the deviation.
Be honest, be truthful, be sincere. Whatever be the situation, your conduct makes the difference. Remember, truth eventually prevails!
God bless us all.
this is so good. love it
We spent a month in Europe. Almost every nice building had balconies . Once we actually saw someone out on theirs.
This doesn’t work everywhere tho, I live in a community mostly of elderly and I’m in my 20s. We’re both glad to habe our own space people still Talk to each other trough the fences but a town should have more areas where you can chill and socialise I between
Nature's impact to human is more different than walls and graphity.
Yes, I understand this concept as we live in a society that embodies much of this philosophy.
But there is a danger if the philosophy is not managed or implemented correct. One example is if the implementation creates a tribal effect, which would create more conflict and less inclusivity.
Because the people who build where the 99% have to live, DON'T HAVE TO LIVE THERE.
Bro sounds like someone trying to do a Gary Vee impression
I feel like lots of people doing the designing don't have the attachments to the area or live there. its about money, not community/neighborhoods and good city planning for them. the way we design neighborhoods isn't from scratch anymore. its slow and expansive so its more random. if it is from scratch unless it has like a special intent [like Malmo in sweden] its more impersonal and lacking authenticity
I LOVE THIS
This doesn’t work everywhere tho, I live in a community mostly of elderly and I’m in my 20s. We’re both glad to habe our own space people still Talk to each other trough the fences
its NOT for everywhere
Excellent!
Marty Funkhouser is a great urban planner!
The guy sounds like death warmed over... Hope he's ok
Where’s Chuck Marohn and Nassim Taleb?
Why Taleb? To my knowledge he hasn't written about city planning.
@@yeetdeets He’s the one behind Chuck’s thinking and his thinking is actually pretty cool. Jeff Speck is also an obvious choice.
That David dude has an annoying voice! Outside of that, he's doing amazing work👍
1:37 David Sim says the ideal height of a building is 4 stories and proceeds to list out the reasons why but doesn't get into any reason why any multi story building whether it be 2 to 100 stories is a negative to the human experience. But then again, he is an "urban expert".
Let's go "first principles" on the concept of a city. buildings whether they are 4 stories or 10 stories will block out the natural landscape and sky. Not great. Also having strangers live above, to the side and above you. Also not great. Overall all lack of privacy. Lots of compromise. Let's also consider the friction that is generated between the different modes of transportation within a city (bike, walking, car, tram).
Then again, I have a problem with core fundamental aspects of reality. Primarily the fact that teleportation doesn't exist. This very fact causes so many damn problems.
And where is this apartment located?
Is the interviewee okay? Almost sounds in distress.
I have 150m to the next Supermarket 300m to when im lazy i can use the bus which is 100m from my house to the tramway Station
with 3 lines, in 6 Stations I come to the mixed Station for metro or train, when im on my street I can use the Bus and drive 2 Stations down of go 450m down where I have something like a strip mall
With a Supermarket, bakery, Trafik( it a licensed store where you can buy tobacco products, buy newspapers and magazines and if im correct also tickets and parking tickets well not all stores sell tickets or at leasti cant remeber), a leather shop for leather products repairing and keymaker, a dry cleaning service, a barber but im not sure if it's still operate, postoffice and bank but they closed it now you have a small turkish market, and a pharmacy.
On the other side outside the stripmall type of thing you have a drugist, chemist, another store a pizzeria and a Café.
Good episode
Thanks, glad you liked it!
I was honestly hoping to hear the person who was interviewed say “oh bother” or “Christopher Robin”
Imagine if every 4 houses shared pools in hot climates. People could afford them in places they couldn’t prior.
Way to go!
That guy has the same voice as crying Jordan Peterson
I fw this idea but solar so the whole community owns their own power staying away from utility inflation and is running on clean energy. It used to be expensive but the government is giving 5-30k to homeowners to go solar and the switch is 0 out of pocket so they set it up to switch and lower what you’d be paying on your current light bill but the main reason I think it’s smart for a community to get solar is that whenever you’re done paying the cost of the panels in 10-15 years you don’t pay that price anymore instead of sticking to an electric company for the rest of your life.🤷🏿♂️
Humans who have the ability to choose where they live tend to choose beautiful places. Living in an ugly place is a symptom of having no choice.
i want to work for this company this is perfect
Imagine someone wanted to commit suicide out of those buildings, there goes everyones washing.