I saw a discussion around this topic the other day. I know it doesn't apply to most parts of Canada but for cities like Toronto and Vancouver I think it's a worthy discussion given that they are growing rapidly in population and space is limited.
Of course it doesn't help when offshore speculators buy real estate and leave them empty, but that's for another discussion. For the sake of this argument, let's assume houses and condos are occupied.
Does the single family unit still make sense or is it a relic of the past? They take up so much resources but do they give back enough?
Unfortunately, condos and townhouses are getting smaller and smaller in size and not really fit to raise a family, but what if there was a middle ground? What if our towers had fewer units but more square footage, including several bedrooms, and a family room in addition to a living room.
The idea would be to have multi-family units of 1800-3000 square feet on top of each other, priced above condos but less than houses. Developers could still profit from rezoning the land and so many people wouldn't have to choose between long commutes or having space.
Is there any reason, other than developer greed, that we don't already see this happening?