Why Building Better Places Isn’t About Money
Debunking the myth that good design is too expensive
In popular discourse surrounding real estate development (outside of the narrow realms of Twitter), there seems to be a general acceptance that wherever possible, we should try to create more quality, beautiful places. From local observers, visitors passing through, and casual conversations among friends and family, this sentiment is consistent whenever one is confronted with much of new construction today.
So pervasive is this sentiment, that it’s become a common pastime to guess in futility why we can’t build as we used to. Technology is better, construction practices are more refined, access to materials is far easier than historically was the case, capital is more fluid, and it’s easier than ever to get inspiration on great projects from around the world. Is it just too expensive to build like we used to? What gives?
Common Suspects
In searching for answers, we arrive at a few common suspects, all of whom share some blame, but not enough to explain the grinding down of our places to the dismal state they exist in today. There’s our usual foe, modern zoning codes, which demand many things of buildings. From intensity, to setbacks, bulk, lot size coverage, parking minimums & height provisions…
