431–440 of 562 posts
Looking from the outside I would guess this is one of the big reasons for the "missing middle" [1] (lack of medium-density housing) in most North American cities. It is simply not economically feasible to build a small to medium size multi-unit building if you need to include two stairwells, so all buildings are either single family houses or huge mega projects. In my country the simple and cheap four-story walk-up c…
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None of the things he mentioned have anything to do with safety.
Environmental review, community review, and MFH standards all have something to do with safety. It's not like root comment is arguing against fire hydrants or carbon monoxide detectors. I'm just arguing not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
I'd like to see more discussion of the safety impact; I know the article makes the point that fire deaths per capita are lower in Europe, which lacks the requirement, but it also notes that US housing stock is also much more wooden and therefore at higher risk to begin with. (Wood construction is generally a good thing from a sustainability perspective) Whenever I see this proposed my brain immediately goes to the Gr…
> Wood construction is generally a good thing from a sustainability perspective This is something a lot of people get confused about^. To summarize, each ton of wood used in constructions takes approx 1 ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere (cellulose is basically solidified carbon and oxygen), whereas each ton of concrete used in construction puts approx 100kg of C02 into the atmosphere. ^ "You're cutting down treeees ,…
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And yet, European cities exist and are fine without wide streets.
Keep in mind that Europeans tend to build with stone / bricks, and Americans tend to build with wood. Lots of safety regulations stem from that divide. Wood is a bit more flammable. (I'm not saying the difference in safety regulations still make sense today. I'm talking about one of the historical origins of the divide.)
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Keep in mind that Europeans tend to build with stone / bricks, and Americans tend to build with wood. Lots of safety regulations stem from that divide. Wood is a bit more flammable. (I'm not saying the difference in safety regulations still make sense today. I'm talking about one of the historical origins of the divide.)
In the north of Europe it is mostly wood
This is a fantastic article. Burdensome regulations on housing construction have caused costs to skyrocket. Minimum lot sizes, setback requirements, square footage minimums, floor-area ratio restrictions, overzealous height restrictions, parking requirements, abuse of environmental reviews, historic designations, community reviews, overzealous MFH requirements (like double-stair), below-market mandates, all have work…
How much have costs increased, and what tells us that it's regulations, not many other causes?
Also, which regulations? Some are more valuable, some less, and inevitably some will misfire. I'm not just going to trust real estate developers, who have their own interests, to meet other needs.
> below-market mandates
I'm not sure we need more high-end development - those tenants have plenty of options.
> community reviews
In cities, new buildings can impact a community for a century. They should have a say, not just a developer from another city.
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The fire escape can count as a separate staircase too and it can go over windows.
It's crazy to me that people are arguing against two stair houses when I have a ladder in my single family home in case of a fire that blocks the stairs. Fire in the only stairwell or a collapse, guess you just die or hope the fire department saves you before you suffocate.
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I'm often surprised when posters identify themselves as "European" which encompasses such a broad range of cultures, biotypes, and ecosystems that it makes any comparison of the US way vs the European way virtually impossible. That said, when looking at the reasons for fire safety in the U.S., there are many factors to consider which may or may not apply in parts of Europe -- Frequency of wildfires. They are not unco…
> I'm often surprised when posters identify themselves as "European" which encompasses such a broad range of cultures, biotypes, and ecosystems that it makes any comparison of the US way vs the European way virtually impossible. Many people in Europe do indeed identify as European. This has become more and more prevalent as people increasingly move around in Europe. I'd also argue that you are ignoring the cultural d…
I identify myself as an inhabitant of my city compared to someone from a neighbour city. I identify as European compared to someone from United States. I identify myself as a westerner compared to people with a completely different culture.
The author does not even attempt to analyze the safety impact of removing the second stair. The only evidence they provide is that Western Europe has fewer fire deaths than the US. Which suggests that perhaps the US should be increasing fire safety standards rather than removing them…
Seattle also allows for single stair multifamily. It hasn't been a problem for us yet.
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Which is the norm in Europe. One stair, one elevator. Even large and long buildings are divided in "stairs": there is central concrete tower with the staircase and the elevator shaft and a number of flats around it. Repeat like a pack of AA batteries. No way to move between them except the basement with parking for the cars.
Elevator regulations are another area where the US needs to improve. In many areas, the regulation is that if there is an elevator, it must be big enough to hold a stretcher for EMTs. These are of course far more expensive than an elevator large enough to accommodate a wheel chair. So given the choice between some accessibility and extreme accessibility which is too expensive to provide, the legal choice is to go wit…
I don't have figures, but my job, but for a multi unit house the extra space is probably not a problem. A typical one could be 10 floors, 4 units per floor. The extra expense for the builder of the house is divided by 40 and the extra space taken from each floor is divided by 4. The maintenance and electricity bills are higher though.