As urban areas continue to grow and evolve, so too does the concept of the American Dream. No longer is the dream solely defined by the traditional white picket fence and sprawling suburban lawns. In today's episode, we delve into the transformative world of high-density living and its significant impact on urban planning, lifestyles, and the environment.
The American Dream has long been associated with homeownership, specifically in the form of a detached single-family home. However, demographic shifts, economic changes, and environmental concerns are challenging this ideal. In cities like Los Gatos, California, the median home price has soared to $2.5 million, necessitating a reevaluation of what homeownership looks like and how cities accommodate their growing populations. High-density living, characterized by apartments, condos, and townhomes, is increasingly seen as a solution to these challenges.
High-density housing offers several benefits over traditional single-family homes. For one, it can make cities more accessible and affordable by reducing sprawl and revitalizing city centers with mixed-use developments. Such arrangements blend residential spaces with retail and commercial areas, fostering vibrant communities where people can live, work, and play. Additionally, by promoting walkability and reducing the reliance on cars, high-density living can have significant environmental advantages. It can also be more cost-effective, as shared amenities like gyms and pools offer residents facilities that might otherwise be unattainable.
Yet, embracing high-density living requires a shift in perspective, especially when it comes to property management. Homeowners' associations (HOAs) play a crucial role in maintaining these compact communities. They handle the responsibilities of property upkeep, which might be burdensome for individuals who view their homes more as a store of value than as an active investment. As such, HOAs can be a boon to those not interested in the nitty-gritty of property management, while also fostering a sense of community among residents.
Despite the benefits, some are resistant to the idea of high-density living due to misconceptions about increased crime, reduced property values, and strain on local infrastructure. However, research and case studies have repeatedly shown that with proper planning and community engagement, high-density housing can be integrated successfully into urban environments without leading to these negative outcomes. In fact, well-designed high-density developments can contribute to the safety, prosperity, and desirability of an area.
During the podcast, we also tackled the technical challenges of content creation, sharing personal anecdotes and solutions for using tools like Canva for video editing. These insights provide a peek into the world of modern content creators who are part of the evolving tapestry of urban living.
To conclude, high-density living is not just about the structures we inhabit but about redefining our relationship with our environment, our communities, and our personal aspirations. It offers a path toward a more sustainable, inclusive, and dynamic urban future. Whether you're a millennial grappling with the new realities of the housing market, a city planner, or someone curious about the changing American landscape, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge on the future of urban living.
Join us on this enlightening journey as we explore the many facets of high-density living and consider how it could shape the cities of tomorrow. It's time to think beyond the single-family home and imagine a world where compact, vibrant communities offer new ways to live, connect, and thrive in the heart of the city.
As urban areas continue to grow and evolve, so too does the concept of the American Dream. No longer is the dream solely defined by the traditional white picket fence and sprawling suburban lawns. In today's episode, we delve into the transformative world of high-density living and its significant impact on urban planning, lifestyles, and the environment.
The American Dream has long been associated with homeownership, specifically in the form of a detached single-family home. However, demographic shifts, economic changes, and environmental concerns are challenging this ideal. In cities like Los Gatos, California, the median home price has soared to $2.5 million, necessitating a reevaluation of what homeownership looks like and how cities accommodate their growing populations. High-density living, characterized by apartments, condos, and townhomes, is increasingly seen as a solution to these challenges.
High-density housing offers several benefits over traditional single-family homes. For one, it can make cities more accessible and affordable by reducing sprawl and revitalizing city centers with mixed-use developments. Such arrangements blend residential spaces with retail and commercial areas, fostering vibrant communities where people can live, work, and play. Additionally, by promoting walkability and reducing the reliance on cars, high-density living can have significant environmental advantages. It can also be more cost-effective, as shared amenities like gyms and pools offer residents facilities that might otherwise be unattainable.
Yet, embracing high-density living requires a shift in perspective, especially when it comes to property management. Homeowners' associations (HOAs) play a crucial role in maintaining these compact communities. They handle the responsibilities of property upkeep, which might be burdensome for individuals who view their homes more as a store of value than as an active investment. As such, HOAs can be a boon to those not interested in the nitty-gritty of property management, while also fostering a sense of community among residents.
Despite the benefits, some are resistant to the idea of high-density living due to misconceptions about increased crime, reduced property values, and strain on local infrastructure. However, research and case studies have repeatedly shown that with proper planning and community engagement, high-density housing can be integrated successfully into urban environments without leading to these negative outcomes. In fact, well-designed high-density developments can contribute to the safety, prosperity, and desirability of an area.
During the podcast, we also tackled the technical challenges of content creation, sharing personal anecdotes and solutions for using tools like Canva for video editing. These insights provide a peek into the world of modern content creators who are part of the evolving tapestry of urban living.
To conclude, high-density living is not just about the structures we inhabit but about redefining our relationship with our environment, our communities, and our personal aspirations. It offers a path toward a more sustainable, inclusive, and dynamic urban future. Whether you're a millennial grappling with the new realities of the housing market, a city planner, or someone curious about the changing American landscape, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge on the future of urban living.
Join us on this enlightening journey as we explore the many facets of high-density living and consider how it could shape the cities of tomorrow. It's time to think beyond the single-family home and imagine a world where compact, vibrant communities offer new ways to live, connect, and thrive in the heart of the city.
Hello everyone. Today is April 30th 2024. I'm here on the podcast alone today to speak about housing density, to speak about density within cities and to speak about the effects of housing density. This podcast is brought to you by Zayuk. Zayuk is a homeowner association management company that I founded. Homeowner association management and housing density go hand in hand. You know we in California have a housing shortage crisis and higher density housing is going to very likely be the solution for that and we've seen that with, you know, repeals of zoning laws and various building projects throughout the state. We recently had the NAR settlement, which has huge implications for builders and for building buildings residential buildings.
Speaker 1:
So we thought to have a podcast on housing density and it's a subject that I think people in the country the country being United States might not understand so well and don't understand the implications of it. I know we always speak about oh, you know Europe. They're always. You know they've got it made with the public transport and here in America we're always in cars. But you know kind of talking about not just the cars and driving and going to different places, but more as you know, that, as well as the economics of that, some sacrifices that have to be made with high housing density, but then also the benefits that come with that, and I think really the biggest sacrifice is the white picket fence the American you know the white picket fence, front yard, two-car garage, driveway. We should really reconsider how viable that is at the economy the US is at, you know, with the population we've got and the population that's coming, and you know we do have a significant retirement event occurring and about to take place, but at the same time there's a housing shortage and we need to handle it effectively. So if people are hesitant about high density housing, you know we're here to speak about that.
Speaker 1:
So what is high density housing? Referring to areas with concentration of apartments, condos and townhomes Increasingly common, as we're experiencing a rapid urbanization that's been in stride for a long time, you know, since the Industrial Revolution. I would guess I'm not going to go into that but by 2050, it's estimated two thirds of the population, global population, will live in cities. And so I think also, we're still a new world country and I'm here in California. California was founded, you know, not even 200 years ago, and I don't think we realize here in the West that our population density is very low. I mean, obviously I'm in San Diego, we talked about the coast of California, low. I mean, obviously I'm in San Diego, we talked about the coast of California, socal.
Speaker 1:
This is not a low population density area but in general America, you know, there's a lot of empty areas around the country and so, anyways, so housing stock, this puts a strain on people who want single family homes. Single family homes become expensive if everyone's looking to go to a city and live in a city, that's valuable land and, frankly, if it's a very nice urban area with a lot of economic and residential and, I'm sorry, retail amenities nearby maybe a park, public utilities people are going to, that's going to have high demand and so there's only so much supply in the middle of the city. So you have to go farther out and we're going to speak about and that's called sprawl. When there's, you know, distributed housing across land, we're going to refer to that as sprawl. That's that's, we're going to refer to that as sprawl. So, um, you know, housing density offers to make housing more acceptable, more accessible and revitalize city centers, you know, with again going back to mixed use, shops, amenities, these are things that are critical. I mean we all. It doesn't matter how far away you are. When I say how far away, how isolated you are, I mean, unless you're like a real mountain person. You need food, you need social, you need basic amenities, and you know, I thought about this long. You know, when it comes to being in an urban center, I think a lot of things actually become cheaper because it takes less energy to go and get those things.
Speaker 1:
I live in San Diego. I haven't owned a car in many years and, frankly, I could not do that if I wasn't in the middle of a metropolitan city. That's a huge expense. Metropolitan city that's a huge expense, and over the last two years, gas has gone up, cars prices have gone up, insurance prices have gone up. I haven't had to deal with that and that's only because I'm able to leverage high density housing. It's not that high density, but it is higher than single-family homes, and it's in a more metropolitan area of San Diego.
Speaker 1:
So again, we spoke about the lack of affordability for housing throughout California. Los Gatos is one city in California where this is a huge issue. $2.5 million, that's the median home price. That's very high. And so Los Gatos has been trying to explore high-density housing, because those residents who can afford $2.5 million homes, want, you know, amenities and they want services and they don't want these services to be very far.
Speaker 1:
And service providers don't always I mean most service providers cannot afford $2.5 million homes or anything near that. So mixed-use housing is a solution to this. You bring in pockets of high density where that can be your city center, pockets of high density where that can be your city center. You have some retail, you have some residential, you have restaurants and you know you don't have to live there as an individual. You can go to your you know multi-acre lot with your beautiful single family home and white picket fence and enjoy that. But the reality of the situation and if you have $2.5 million or more and you're able to afford a home of that nature, go for it. The reality is most people can't. And even the people that do live in these very expensive homes need service providers to provide them services and those service providers need housing.
Speaker 1:
So we talk about and that will get us into traffic and we'll talk about and that will get us into traffic and we'll talk about traffic. So, going back, well-designed, high-density developments can be a real tool to accommodate for housing shortage and housing affordability as well. So we'll address some myths here. Affordability as well. So we'll address some myths here. Myth one high density housing leads to increased crime. This is a common theme and myth, but it's not true. Well-designed developments with mixed use of public spaces, residential and retail, and restaurants don't increase crime and possibly even deter crime. When you have high density like that, you know there's less chance of getting away with something, and socioeconomic factors such as poverty and employment rates are much more they are much higher factors into determining crime in the area than population density. There are multiple areas in New York and Chicago that have very high population densities, and those are some of the most luxurious and expensive and safe areas to live in, and so socioeconomic factors play a much higher role than housing density.
Speaker 1:
Although and before we go to the although another example is Singapore. Singapore has a population density of 8,600 people per square kilometer, yet they boast a reputation for safety. So and I think it's around 0.1 per 100,000 people 0.1 crime it's a very low crime rate in Singapore. 100,000 people, 0.1 crime it's a very low crime rate in Singapore. So, with that said, it all comes down to planning and community engagement. If there's going to be a community in the area. People need to engage with locals around. They need to engage with locals around. They need to engage with local government I mean they already do but to make sure that it's accommodating and high quality for the residents there and for the residents that will come and be the lit that will live in this high density area.
Speaker 1:
Myth two high density housing reduces property values, does not negatively impact nearby single family homes and it might lead to a slight increase. And this goes back to Los Gatos, and you know a city. Design and location are critical, and so how is your high density planning integrated within the rest of the city with the low density housing areas? Mixed-use cities are much more rich. You can have a variety of different incomes and different socioeconomic people and different socioeconomic groups to live amongst each other, and it provides an economy of scale. It provides infrastructure for services. It provides value. It provides value.
Speaker 1:
Myth three high-density housing creates overcrowded schools and streets. Again, planning is key. So you can't just go out and build high density housing. Consult the community statistics. But I think one thing that does occur is, especially here in California, we are, so you know, hesitant towards developing high density housing because we don't want our personal property to decrease in value, and it's not sustainable.
Speaker 1:
The cost of living in this country has skyrocketed. Young people are finding difficulty finding homes in this state, california, and so, one, it's not affordable for most people moving forward, and then, two, it's not even affordable for the cities that handle it. Sprawl has been found to not provide the tax benefits back to the local government in a way that is able to cover the costs of the infrastructure, and so high-density infrastructure is actually profitable. You can tax, the local government can tax high-density infrastructure, high-density housing, and they can maintain that infrastructure at a rate that's profitable for the local government. That is a huge deal. People must respect that, and understanding that changes everything.
Speaker 1:
Because you know I'm free market, I love the free market. I've become much more free market. You know I'm 30 years old. Throughout the last market, I've become much more free market. You know I'm 30 years old. Throughout the last 10 years um, you know, when I was younger than 20 I didn't really even think about it, and so, but at the same time, you know the government, to a certain degree, is a business. It's not necessarily a business, has very unique requirements that no other customer can replicate, but it wants to be profitable.
Speaker 1:
The federal debt we're in right now is because the federal government is not profitable. They lose money. I think it's $1.1 trillion a year For local governments. This is a big deal, and this is a big deal for, I think, people to understand is you have a bunch of potholes all over. Well, frankly, it's been found that the local government has a difficult time creating the infrastructure to maintain that, to maintain those roads across those distances, to maintain the sidewalks across those distances, whereas if there's high density homes, that's not, that's much less road, and so we speak about that as well.
Speaker 1:
The per unit, the per person traffic level of high density developments decreases by like 30%. So what that means is, per person, 30% less driving. It might be more, but roughly there, 30% less driving is done in a high density environment, high density housing. You don't have to drive to get your groceries. You don't have to drive to go to a restaurant. You don't have to drive to do some social. You know, maybe you want to go to a bar, laundry, ups, say, you just want to go to a park. These are all things where I think I read it was 15 trips per day and 80% of that I don't know, I have to say, but a majority of people's trips leaving the home is recreational and not work-based, not a need to gain financial, to gain some finances. So again, it's much cheaper, it's much more affordable. Cheaper, it's much more affordable. Maybe the actual rent or the actual mortgage is not going to be as affordable as, say, you go far out, but then in the long run.
Speaker 1:
And then we talk about appreciation, location and design is a huge deal. So how is your high density housing development designed? Is there amenities nearby? Are there parks nearby? How did the developer, you know, build the building? Is it infrastructurally sound? That's one thing. And then where is it located? So those are things that are going to determine the appreciation of your home that you're purchasing, much more so than just because it's high density or just because it's low density. It's location and design. And so and we also talk about entrance, entrance into the housing market, if I know, people want their single family home. Well, time in market is better than timing the market and no one knows where interest rates are going. I just listened to Jamie Dimon and he was saying the next two or three years. He was referencing 1972, how everything was hunky-dory, and then 1973, everything's not so hunky-dory and he was saying the next several years could be like that, and people have this idea.
Speaker 1:
I think we as americans, and especially millennials, have a very difficult time accepting that things have changed. I think gen z has completely, completely accepted that things have changed and we as millennials are having a tougher time because you know the world. I think the world dramatically changed after 2011, um, with the implementation of social media and large-scale you know, webs. I feel websites became much bigger in this area in this time and things changed, and not just that, but the pricing of everything has changed. The population within the country has changed, the value of the us dollar has changed and we need to move forward with a new way of being americans and I think that's something as we, as americans, have always had. We've always changed. I mean, you know I've been in us history for I've went, did in school. You know amer America's a young country.
Speaker 1:
It's constantly gone through these different cycles of development. I would say pre-Civil War was one cycle. Post-civil War to World War I. Another cycle, maybe even a small cycle, was World War I to World War II. That might have been a mini cycle and, honestly, maybe everything up to like. 2016 was another cycle, you know, from 1945 to 2016.
Speaker 1:
But things have changed in the last eight years and just going into housing density, things have changed a lot. Inflation has increased dramatically. The population of the country has increased dramatically. There have been a lot of regulation pieces that have restricted urban growth, and especially here in California, growth, and especially here in California, and we as citizens of this beautiful country, of this beautiful state, should recognize that our requirements as a country and as a state are changing, and that means the vision of what it means to be an American Not just an American, but an American worth aspiring towards.
Speaker 1:
You know it used to be. You aspired towards that white picket fence. Well, maybe aspiring towards owning a condo isn't so bad, it's home ownership. You're going to live. You know, if you're going to live in San Diego, that's awesome. If you're going to live in San Diego, that's awesome. If you're going to live in California, you just, you just put your stake in the ground. Maybe you don't have your backyard, but maybe you can get a balcony, maybe you can get a little patio. These are things that you know. I don't even see them as sacrifices. I think it's good.
Speaker 1:
We're in a time of great emotional distress in this country. Depression is skyrocketing amongst young people. Why Isolation? Well, you know high-density housing. You get what you put into it, and so if you want a community, you can find it in high-density housing, whereas if you go to a single-family home, you have very little chance of running into people. You have very little chance of running into people every single day for years, and that's a rich experience. That's a normal human experience. It's not something that should be dreaded, and if it is, maybe you just go. You know, sometimes I don't really want to talk to my neighbors. Is maybe you just go? You know, sometimes I don't really want to talk to my neighbors, so I just, you know, hopefully just pull, just pull a U-turn and go the other way. Hope you didn't see me, you know. But at the end of the day, I do think that this is a more natural way to live, in the sense of being more communal. But on top of that, it's not something that should be thought of as a degrading quality of life, and we can go to many different things.
Speaker 1:
Cost of pool for single home. So the cost of a pool $80 to $250 per square foot. You know, $25,000 to $100,000 in ground pool. That's not that much. I thought it would be way more Still $100,000, let's say maybe $75,000. Say you want to own a pool, then you have to maintain the pool. But say you want to own a pool, either you have to purchase a home with a pool, you have to dig a pool in your backyard, or you can be in a res, an apartment high density home, have a pool in your area. These amenities are very rich things that people who live in high density areas can leverage.
Speaker 1:
Where low density again you want to do anything in a low density housing, it's going to cost you, from that point on, probably more than it would a high density housing person. That might not always be true. Maybe if you're in a high density area, all the local services have a price that's inflated, maybe not. Maybe you could go a few public transportation stops and find a more affordable one for the price of, you know, much less. You don't have to get in the car. You also start walking, hopefully. Again another thing more walkability, if you can cut the amount. So we said mentioned earlier 30% less driving time per person. That means you want to go outside. You're going to start walking.
Speaker 1:
We have a chronic disease epidemic in our country. A huge portion of that is people don't. A huge reason for that is people don't move enough. High density housing gets people the option to walk in a place that's walkable, that's enjoyable to walk, that you're going to walk outside, you're going to see people. It's going to be hustling and bustling, you know that's awesome. You don't have to get into a car, you don't have to spend money on gas, you don't have to sit down in a car for 10 to 15 minutes, if not more. You just in your home, go downstairs, go outside and you know whatever, and start walking. And this is the beauty of high density homes and it's really that easy. And so you've already just started exercising. Easy and so you've already just started exercising.
Speaker 1:
And there are many things that people might not like about high density homes and I can understand that. Maybe you don't want to hear your neighbor. You know the walls. Might insulation sound insulation might not be great. Might insulation sound insulation might not be great. Maybe you do enjoy not seeing a single person when you get home. Uh, like you don't even want to see anyone from the moment you park to the moment you walk in your front door, um, and in those cases you know you just have to pay more to get those luxuries.
Speaker 1:
And at this point I argue that these things aren't even luxuries. And at this point I argue that these things aren't even luxuries anymore. These things, these more isolated, sprawled, separated ways of being, are not in accordance with mental well-being. I've heard that people are supposed to be near others, that maybe you don't get along with them so well, maybe. And then we're an HOA management company, zayuk, so we are in the business of people who live close by each other, who don't get along very well, and it's normal. It's normal. It's not something to completely admonish. I hope that was used correctly, so we'll just keep on going.
Speaker 1:
But anyways, I guess the one thing that I was trying to get with all of that was high density housing promotes a more humanized environment when you are surrounded by others, when you have a community around you, when you wake up and go outside and you and maybe just your family is in your nuclear family, and then you hop into a car, drive out to work, possibly just stay in your home, work there and you have a very low chance of running into your neighbors just because you don't walk outside too much. It's less human. That might be my opinion, more so than fact, but I think that's an important point is that with emotional connection communities do prosper that more. So again, 20 to 30% reduction in vehicle miles traveled per person. So that is per person. Again, when you have higher density housing you're going to have way more people in this small area. So overall, yeah, lower density housing is going to have less traffic. But per person, 20 to 30 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled. That's huge. Also huge reduction in vehicles owned.
Speaker 1:
I believe I saw statistics where couples in high density housingensity housing have on average close to one car in the family and then low-density, two cars. That makes sense because you know that just makes sense. There's going to be a time where both partners want to go out and need to do something. In high density, very likely that one of them. I mean it just becomes much more likely that neither of them need a car to do that thing or only one of them does. But in low density it almost becomes inevitable that both people will need a car. It truly becomes nearly inevitable.
Speaker 1:
Public transportation, that's more of a city thing, but again, we go back to parking. Parking is a huge issue, car ownership is an issue. You know we talk about places, yeah, so keep moving forward Can put a strain on existing resources. Proactive planning, infrastructure investment and these are things for proactive planning. That has to be. You know, builders, cities they really have to determine what's best for them and infrastructure again, that's more government and builders than people. But we're talking about the benefits and why this is a good thing and people should actually one search out for high density housing, and then even we go into maintenance costs.
Speaker 1:
So this is something we, as an HOA manager Zayuk, as an HOA management company, deals with you as a homeowner. Do you want to be maintaining your roof? Want to be maintaining your roof? Do you want to be painting, making sure the exterior of your home is the right shade of paint? Do you want to be dealing with sprinkler issues throughout your front and backyard? Do you want to have to get a new patio when your patio's infrastructure is deteriorating? Some people, yes, maybe a majority of people, yes, but there are many people who do not want to deal with those things. You do not want to deal with, frankly, the property management and owning property, and this is where purchasing into an HOA becomes, I think, very it becomes valuable, and that only is as long as your HOA manager and your HOA board are transparent, are frankly good business people, cost effective, know how and you know providing you with the best services possible. Your HOA manager should be providing you with great services, great products, great service providers for those you know for whatever, whatever it may be landscapes, roofers, elevators, it could be anything. But as long as your HOA is managed well, people should look at HOAs as something that they can leverage to save them time if they so desire.
Speaker 1:
If you are someone I have multiple friends and family who enjoy property management. They manage their own properties and they enjoy it. They actually go into their HOA meetings, they review their HOA minutes, they are on top of the issues within their properties. But when we talk about someone who's really looking at their home as a store of value rather than an investment, what is the difference of that? Maybe an investment can be a store of value, but a store of value, I mean, it should be an investment as well.
Speaker 1:
But sometimes people think about their home as a store of value in the sense of you put money into this home, you are going to be able to sell it down the line and in the time in between your purchase and your selling of this home, and in the time in between your purchase and your selling of this home, you're going to be able to leverage it as the place you sleep, and this should be profitable for you in the end. That is a store of value and you don't really have any interest in making sure the investment goes higher, or you don't really have any interest in managing the property or you don't really love property maintenance. You're just there to make sure that. Okay, I know I have to live somewhere. I know I want to live in this city and I know that if I put my money here, I'm going to have to put rent somewhere. And if I just purchase here, live here, I can sell down the line and that will be a good financial decision for me. And if that's the reason you're purchasing, if that's the reason you're purchasing, you might not want to be doing too much property management. And if you purchase a single family home, you will either have to rent out the services of a property manager or get into property management of your home in order to maintain it effectively. And so, again, now we go back into high density housing for HOA specifically. Now we move away from apartments and go into HOA specifically.
Speaker 1:
If you have an HOA, yes, you do have to pay your HOA every month Likely, your assessments are every month but you can leverage this organization to deal with these infrastructure issues that you don't want to deal with. Do you really want to call roofers and have your roof handled? I mean, yes, when push comes to shove, you do. You do want that, because we've already spoken about this when things get really crazy and you really need your H away, but that's a pretty large case. Do you really want to be dealing with landscapers all the time to deal with your landscape? Do you want to worry about again elevate like staircases?
Speaker 1:
There's many things that you can that when you're joining HOA, you get to shuffle that off to the HOA and it is your choice to be as involved or as separated as you'd like to be, depending on your obligations and what they are to the association. Owning a home in terms of a store of value that they can leverage for their wealth down the line, and that's it when they're not super like, when they're not really into investing in maintaining property. Hoas and HOAs in high density homes, I think, are better off for them because they can leverage they can still leverage that store of value. They can allow the HOA to do a lot of the property management for the exterior and the infrastructure of their home. And we've already spoken about as long as the area that you purchase in socioeconomically viable, the design of the building with the amenities and surroundings is of a high quality, was planned well. The community had input into, into the decisions of the builder, that that that property is going to appreciate. Well you're, the value of that property is going to appreciate. So it really goes to you know what you as an investor or you as a homeowner, you as a person who lives in a certain area, need, want, are looking for in your living and now we go to HOAs in your wealth and how you want to distribute that.
Speaker 1:
So we spoke about increased affordability. We spoke about 2.5 million dollar homes in Los Gatos, I mean here in san diego, I believe the median is like one point, it's over one million. Um, that's so much you know, and uh, it's, it's a lot, and so if you actually want to start in the san Diego housing market. You need to go lower, unless you're wealthy and have a high income. You need to go lower. And high density housing can solve for that. You can still live in an economically viable area. You can still have great amenities. Economically viable area you can still have great amenities. You can still be surrounded by a community. And you can still purchase land. You can still purchase real estate.
Speaker 1:
Environmental benefits Less land development Going up is more environmentally friendly than going all over. Reduced energy consumption when you have to heat and cool a single building, that's going to require less energy than if all those residents were distributed in their own homes and each of those homes needed to be heated and cooled separately. And again, walkable communities. Lowering the overall traffic footprint maybe not the traffic in that localized area is going to be more, but the residents of that area on average will drive. The residents of that area on average will drive, will have 20 to 30% less miles accumulated. So environmentally, sprawl is actually more devastating than high-density housing, high-density economies.
Speaker 1:
Another thing economies of scale. When you can leverage the and we spoke about this when you can leverage the infrastructure around you, when you can leverage the service providers around you, businesses will be able to come and economy will be able to thrive, but distributed, you don't get many people together, you don't get many businesses together, you don't get many consumers close to many businesses and it's not going to scale. And we spoke about the country of Australia, which has a huge scalability problem and it's the reason, and it's one reason I don't know of others that I've been told the country isn't able to boom economically the way the United States has. Proximity to jobs. Yes, challenges and considerations. Challenges and considerations. You know the challenges are they can be a strain on traffic and utilities and there can be a lack of green space and amenities. Green integration, mixed use development mixed use development is critical. Green integration, mixed-use development Mixed-use development is critical. It's absolutely critical.
Speaker 1:
We have needs and many people, including myself, prefer to just have them right there, not to be walking all over, not to be, I'm sorry, have them, not to be driving all over, not to be sitting down, to get out and about under those city lights, under the sky, and just go to a restaurant, go to do some retail, go to a movie, go to a comedy show, whatever that may be, instead of driving there, instead of getting in a car. Possibly, you and your buddy both live in a high density area. You get to just, oh, oh, yo, you want to meet each other downstairs, let's do it. Boom, it's awesome, I am. So I'm a huge fan of high density housing. With that said, I also love going out indoors. It just makes that that much more rich to be outdoors.
Speaker 1:
So I think you know, as we wrap this up, thoughtful planning, community involvement these are things we spoke about when we do high density housing making sure that the housing is integrated with the rest of the community, making sure the amenities make sense in the sense of what this property and what the density is going to look like. And really we want to dispel some myths too, that you're going to have crime rates go up. No, you're not. Not necessarily, it's not going to be solely based on the density. So the last podcast uh, actually dropped, unfortunately, um, but I mean, it's just a recording, but the main point I want to get across is the end and the conclusion, and I'm just going to put these to the first recording and this one. I'm going to merge them. But planning with the community, taking the community's account into consideration with high density housing, and so thoughtful planning, community input. These are critical.
Speaker 1:
Going into high density housing, high density can alleviate the affordability issue, the housing shortage issue. It can provide us with rich amenities that we can't afford as individuals or even as families. And also, you know, on a personal note, I think it can bring a sense of community that we all inherently need. It needs to be managed well and so, whether that's, you know, there's two types apartments and condos, and Zayuk is an HOA management company, so we handle condos, the management of the governance of these condos and the well-being of the association. So, with that in mind, I hope everyone has possibly, you know, opened their ears to high density, open their thoughts.
Speaker 1:
If you were hesitant, if you've grown up in the suburbs, high density can be a way to alleviate traffic for you as an individual. I know I really don't like traffic. The beginning of my career I did deal with a bit of traffic, not like hours. I had a co-worker who one time drove a minimum of. I think he could get to his home in 45 minutes if there was no traffic. But you know, he came to work at rush hour and left at rush hour and I think it was more like 90 minutes every day High density. You know, and this person, this individual, worked in Europe before and loved working in Europe, and I don't know about their living situation there, but if you're living in Europe, you're very likely going to be more likely to be in a high density location. So I think people should be open to it.
Speaker 1:
I think people should be open to permitting mixed densities within their town, within their suburbs. One, to bring service providers up the economy, allow businesses to come, whether that be restaurants, retail providers, whatever it may be, any service provider the community needs. And again, affordability 20-30% less miles driven on the roads. You as an individual, if you and your spouse are together, you might need one car instead of two. You can go out to restaurants and walk there, so, and you can also again have these amenities gym, pool, landscape, a large lot you can have if, and enjoy the richness of it and see it grow. Um. So again, that's more HOA than high density, but I think we at Zyuk are just trying to communicate Please be open to high-density housing. Thank you All right, that was great.
Speaker 1:
That was great. So I want to put that together it's 423. I shouldn't get the issue with the way I do. Canva editing is oh, no, oh, thank goodness. Thank goodness, I've had some mic issues, but I know I was thinking it might have just happened, but it didn't just happen, which is good, all right. So, like I said, canva video editing, it's not good. The breaking up of clips oh, here it is, audio static when breaking clips in Canva. No-transcript, it's a little broken, let me, I need to check out the actual Thank you. Yeah, I might have to restart the whole thing, unfortunately that way. Thank you, all right, I figured it out. No-transcript, no-transcript, let me. Oh, wow, I'm going to have to cut the live stream right now for multiple reasons, but
