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Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

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Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#81

> Housing Costs Are So High They left out the "in the trendy, inner city areas we want to live in" part. Because whilst housing prices are rising in cities we are also seeing major declines in populations for smaller towns. And whilst our parents were willing to sacrifice and embrace these towns which in turn became gentrified it doesn't seem current generations feel the same way.

Cities have jobs. Cities have opportunity. Cities have diversity. Why should we expect, encourage, or even desire that young people sacrifice economic and social opportunity and mobility? Why is the response to high housing cost in cities lecturing "current generations" about their choices? There are glaringly obvious problems in many of our cities that make housing so expensive. Is it so outrageous to try to solve t…

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Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#82
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cities have jobs. Cities have opportunity. Cities have diversity. Why should we expect, encourage, or even desire that young people sacrifice economic and social opportunity and mobility? Why is the response to high housing cost in cities lecturing "current generations" about their choices? There are glaringly obvious problems in many of our cities that make housing so expensive. Is it so outrageous to try to solve t…

But why do cities have all the opportunity? Most likely because the capital owning class lives in cities and has been systematically draining wealth from more rural areas via globalization and the erosion of workers' rights. I'm not saying young professionals need to concern themselves with such lofty ideals, but I do think it's a valid to question why there are only a few pockets of opportunity left in the country.

    But why do cities have all the opportunity?
This is an overstatement. In large parts of Midwest United States (and Canada), you can be middle class by farming. That is "opportunity" -- not amazing, but a good, middle class life in a small, safe town. Also, it is easy to own your home in a farming community -- much easier than large city or suburbs. It would better to ask why do cities have so much more opportunity in the 21st Century? Probably due to the structure of a highly advanced economy. Most of the (economically) valuable work in services is done in and around large cities.

Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#83

I think we are also seeing lower divorce rates and suspect a rebound once the economy picks up and as this generation of children ages.

US is indeed seeing lower divorce rates. I do wonder if it's correlated to the decline in couples having children. [1] https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/divorce/divorce-statist...

In the same paragraph it's also stated that there's a proportional decline in marriages, each declining by ~2 per 1000

Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#84
post #4

Suppressed household formation is the reason why increasing supply often doesn't look like it's working. There are tens of millions of people who want to move out of their current situation into a smaller household.

Wait wait wait. Building housing is inducing demand for housing. We shouldn't build new houses nor new roads because clearly neither improves anything. /s

Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#86
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But why do cities have all the opportunity? Most likely because the capital owning class lives in cities and has been systematically draining wealth from more rural areas via globalization and the erosion of workers' rights. I'm not saying young professionals need to concern themselves with such lofty ideals, but I do think it's a valid to question why there are only a few pockets of opportunity left in the country.

But why do cities have all the opportunity? This is an overstatement. In large parts of Midwest United States (and Canada), you can be middle class by farming. That is "opportunity" -- not amazing, but a good, middle class life in a small, safe town. Also, it is easy to own your home in a farming community -- much easier than large city or suburbs. It would better to ask why do cities have so much more opportunity in…

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Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cities have jobs. Cities have opportunity. Cities have diversity. Why should we expect, encourage, or even desire that young people sacrifice economic and social opportunity and mobility? Why is the response to high housing cost in cities lecturing "current generations" about their choices? There are glaringly obvious problems in many of our cities that make housing so expensive. Is it so outrageous to try to solve t…

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Yes it is.

Diversity means restaurant options go beyond MacDonalds and the local bar

Diversity means that if you are Gay, non-religious or into Table Tennis you can find others who are the same

Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#88
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But at some point you're going to have to give up this notion that population density can be made infinite. Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Singapore would like to have a word with you.

Or any big city in Europe? Sometimes I wonder if Americans travel out of the US at all.

> Or any big city in Europe?

Many big cities in Europe are having housing crises of their own - Lisbon, Amsterdam, London etc. Just today, there was this thread bemoaning the housing situation in Netherlands - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38444948

> Sometimes I wonder if Americans travel out of the US at all.

Sometimes I wonder if people know real facts about Europe or just have some rosy imagination or generalize some tiny corner to the entire continent.

Re: Housing costs are so high that divorced couples are still living together

#89
post #50

I sometimes wonder how people managed in the 19th century. Many went from villages to increasingly crowded cities. With no savings, minimal or no education. Industrial production was ramping up, but with crazy demands on workers, long hours, no safety standards. Couldn’t get a mortgage and wait for a nice corporation to build an apartment for you. Couldn’t look for a place in suburbs (how would you commute). Somehow…

> I sometimes wonder how people managed in the 19th century.

In very harsh conditions. Looking at the history of the 19th century with all the wars, financial crises, social upheavals and whatnot.

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