Conversation

M. Nolan Gray
@mnolangray
Demolitions are welcome but not necessary. Most new unit production in SFH neighborhoods involves subdividing existing floor area into two/three units. Very cheap to do, at most requiring an addition or conversion of unused space, creating units that are immediately affordable.
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Market Urbanism Report
@marketurbanist
2. If the increment’s too low, it wouldn’t spur much redevelopment anyway, since in most markets, developers won't foot the cost of demo’ing an SFH to build a triplex.
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M. Nolan Gray
@mnolangray
Take Queens: if you didn't know any better, you'd think all the housing production was happening in Long Island City. ~15k units in a decade. Big, visible...
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M. Nolan Gray
@mnolangray
Now we need both: new high rises near transit/jobs *and* allowing SFHs to subdivide into fourplexes. But underrate the urbanization and affordability function of subdivided homes at your own peril.
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Market Urbanism Report
@marketurbanist
Is that really a good thing? NYC won't adequately allow new housing, so the only option for many is to further subdivide already-small units. I know some might romanticize this minimalism, but to me it's an involuntary response to government-imposed scarcity.
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M. Nolan Gray
@mnolangray
Not romantizing. This is not an ideological point. Even if NYC allowed unlimited FAR in the core, there would still be tons of demand for subdivided SFH units. They are far, far cheaper units to producue than capital-intensive towers.
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