Brandon Donnelly — Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly. — Page 1060

I recently discovered this marvelous chair (image from here ):

It’s called a strandkorb , which is a German word that translates into something along the lines of “hooded beach chair.” It was invented in the late 19th century by a basket maker looking for protection from the elements on the beach.

Apparently they are fairly ubiquitous at resorts along the North Sea and Baltic Sea and are a bit of a cult object in Germany. They are a symbol of holiday fun, but also, to some , a symbol of German resiliency in the face of adverse weather.

For me, the beauty of these beach chairs is that the “hood” blocks the wind. So if you orient yourself toward the sun, you could actually feel quite warm even when it may not be the perfect beach weather. They extend the season, which is paramount in cooler climates.

I guess that’s why they have stuck around since the 1880′s . If you check out some of the (Google) photo spheres in beach towns in northern Germany, you will definitely find many a strandkorb.

There’s a lot of interest right now in micro apartments. Here is a recent example from New York City. Generally speaking the model is driven by a need to increase housing affordability: shrink the apartments; lower the prices. 

To compensate for these smaller units, the buildings are often equipped with larger shared spaces and a desire to create a sense of community.

The below TED talk by architect Grace Kim is an interesting case study of a project that started, first, with a desire for cohabitation. Her thesis is that cohousing can make us happier, less lonely, and more socially connected.

The cohousing community that she profiles is one that she both designed and developed and one that she now lives in and practices architecture out of.

If you can’t see the video below, click here . It’s only 10 minutes. After you’ve watched it, let us know in the comment section below if this is a community you could see yourself being a part of.

https://embed.ted.com/talks/grace_kim_how_cohousing_can_make_us_happier_and_live_longer

The New York Times recently published “ a portrait of new single-family homes ” in the US in 2016. Here’s that portrait:

For those of those living in dense urban centers, this portrait is perhaps a reminder that in many other places a large single-family home can be had for about the price of a studio apartment.

Nothing in the above portrait likely surprised you, but it’s interesting to note that over half of all new single family homes delivered last year were in “The South.” Only 7% were built in the dense northeast.

The New York Times also recently looked at “ international rents per square foot ” using data from RentCafe . Here they are:

New York City sits at the top with an average rent of $4.98 psf. This is across all boroughs. I am surprised by how low some of these international rents are. But averages rarely tell you the whole story.

In any event, I do think that these two graphics start to speak to the economic spikiness that we are seeing across the US.