Infographic: The Most Popular Housing Typology in Major Cities Across the U.S.
Created by the Washington Post
The American dream may be to own a sprawling single-family home with a picket fence, but clearly very few New Yorkers are interested in that fantasy. Instead, as this fascinating infographic breaking down the most-popular housing typologies across the 40 largest U.S. cities points out, less than 10 percent of NYC inhabitants live in a detached single unit. The majority, in fact, reside in buildings with 20 or more apartments.
The chart, created by the Washington Post, culls data from a new 2014 American Community Survey data on the characteristics of occupied housing. More broadly, its breakdown points to the type of urbanization and approach to city planning reflected in each city. For example, in Los Angeles, whose boundaries are blurry at best, it comes as no surprise that single-family homes prevail and thus a car culture reigns–although it is interesting to see that they do have a considerable number of mid-rise buildings with multiple (10+) units, which at the end of the day makes it one of the densest cities in the country. On the other end of the spectrum is of course New York, which is dominated by tall towers and ultra-high-density living.
Created by the Washington Post. Click to expand >>>
Though fun to examine and make comparisons, the creators say that the numbers have a greater meaning, particularly for large cities struggling with housing inventory and providing affordable units.
“These figures tell us not just about the physical character of each city, but the potential they have for new housing as many places (Detroit not withstanding) look for space to fit a growing urban population,” reporter Emily Badger writes. “Higher density, in all of these cities, doesn’t have to mean Manhattan-style mega-rises.”
Except if you’re Manhattan, of course.
[Via Washington Post]
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