Wacky Wednesday--Single-Family Homes Are A Bad Idea

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~No one needs so much space.
~Communal living has many benefits.
~Visiting your friends is just a walk away.
~We wouldn’t have such pollution problems from heating and cooling homes and from commuting.
~We’d naturally preserve more green space.
~Less money wasted on cars because everyone would live in a more urban setting.
~Public transit would become not merely cost-effective, but obvious.
~Most of us have wasted services, like pools and laundry that sit idle most of the time. Communities don’t have these problems.
~You’d have more time because you wouldn’t be commuting so much.
~You wouldn’t have a massive mortgage.
~SFH cultivate social isolation and selfishness.
~A community can benefit from specialization of skills and communization of chores: handyman, plumber, mechanic, maid, mowing.
~How efficient is it for most people to cook an entire meal just for themselves?
~From the homeschooler’s perspective, this would be awesome!
~Don’t you remember how nice it was to live in the dorms or the fraternity and be just moments away from your friends?
~Privacy encourages illicit behavior.
~At least if we aren’t going to have a bunch of kids, we can have our kids enjoy the benefits of lots of neighbor kids.
~Kids would be safer because they could all be in a fairly central location.
~Communal living with sharing of resources is a Biblical ideal.
~You don’t have as much space, so you don’t acquire as much junk.
~How many people have room for their own pool table? Or can afford one? But how many hotels don’t have one? Think of all the extra things everyone could have access to with shared resources.
~Young people wouldn’t feel the need to move out prematurely.
~Multigenerational households could become the norm, rather than the exception.
~The elderly would have connection with the youth and vice versa.