America Needs Small Apartment Buildings. Nobody Builds Them
Single-family homes and high-rises are all the rage. Meanwhile, the vanishing middle bodes ill for the future.
Contractors work on the roof of a new residential apartment building in Sandy, Utah.
Photographer: George Frey/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Urbanists often lament that developers no longer erect the small apartment buildings that were once a staple of city neighborhoods. Instead, they construct single family homes or large apartment buildings.
There are good reasons to revive this “missing middle,” however: Small buildings are a good way to add density without compromising the character of quiet, single-family districts. They also provide a convenient way for older homeowners to downsize without leaving their neighborhoods.