Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Bobby Fijan

@bobbyfijan.bsky.social

2.6K followers 2.2K following 1.3K posts

Building Housing for Families

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 17h

Bring back family friendly *photography* for housing

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 1d

When you’re 25, paying 38% of your income in rent is ~fine … especially to live in a great neighrbhood of a Tier 1 city

When you have kids, not only does rent drastically increase for family size units, your costs skyrocket.

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 1d

It’s not that hard for young, ambitious, 22-28 year olds to live in *any* American City

The problem, with affordability, comes when those same people are 30-36 and want to get married and have kids.

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 2d

Canadas fertility rate is significantly lower than the US and declining.

It’s below 1.3 now.

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 2d

And again, that’s only proven when people who have the choice to go elsewhere … opt in

“It’s a great excellent”

“Did you send your kids there?”

“No. We chose something else, or moved somewhere else”

Not convincing anyone.

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 2d

How does a “Baby Maybe” apartment work in real life? Like this …

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

“Since we’re gonna move anyway … might as well move to where we’ll be long term”

turns into

“It might not perfect, but we can make it work. Let’s just stay for now and figure the rest later.”

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

That’s where Baby Maybe apartments operate best

If you live in the City, but you have an extra room for a nursery, it means you don’t HAVE to move during pregnancy

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

The message to advance is this:

“You don’t HAVE to move now. Make that choice later. Maybe, when it’s time for your kid to go to school, or you want to be closer to cousins … you can move then. But bring your baby home from the hospital to your apartment in the City for now.”

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

“Let’s get you home”

THIS is the moment The City loses families … when parents think they cannot *raise* their kids downtown (if moving is inevitable) then they think it’s better to bite the bullet and move NOW to the place they will be long term

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

It’s just not going to be convincing … when most people believe the opposite is morally good

“Sacrifice to give YOUR children the best you can is good”

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

This is why we need to build “Baby Maybe” apartments … to make it easier for couples to have their first child earlier

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

And then, hopefully, those engaged families can have a “bottom up” impact on the school

Which makes it marginally less costly for the next family to opt in and attend … and “convincing” more parents at the playground

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

When there is a strong community of toddler families, some will move to suburbs for the “good” schools, some will choose private … but SOME will choose, with their friends, to send their kids together to the local public elementary for Kindergarten

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

I *agree* with the idea that the only way for the public schools to get better is if some parents, choose to send send their kids to marginal schools

And that’s a key part of why I think the focus on “family friendly housing” should be targeted at those BELOW school age

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 3d

The most effective way for parents to be “convinced” to send their children to the local public school … is that when they ask around at the playground “So where do YOU send your kids” is to hear parents of older kids say “We send ours to the local elementary school”

Moral shaming does not work

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 4d

This is what I want for the City, and why I want to build "starter homes" for young urban families ...

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 4d

And here's the full data and paper

bsky.app/profile/bobb...

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 14d

Very proud release project I've been working on for 18months: the *first* rigorous study on floorplans & families. ~10K person survey & 40pg paper:

Do floorplans matter to families, or people who want a baby?

Turns out, YES!

And having an *extra* bedroom matters MOST
t.co/HTkXORETf1

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 4d

And this article

bsky.app/profile/bobb...

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 7d

I wrote a real estate investor focused essay in Thesis Driven on the in-depth applications of the Institute for Family Studies paper I did with Lyman Stone

How family friendly" apartment projects can actually make sense financially ... and a few examples

www.thesisdriven.com/letters/can-...

Can Building "Family Friendly" Apartments Make Financial Sense?

A study of the importance - and feasibility - of family-friendly units

www.thesisdriven.com

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 4d

The interview was about this study ... so this is my pitch to them

bsky.app/profile/bobb...

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 5d

In my opinion ... the MOST compelling and actionable part the 6,000 person floorplan survey we did was in these 2 charts

Americans *prefer* 1BR units that have an extra room rather than a walk-in closet & en-suite bath

That includes those who want kids, and those who don't

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 4d

A "Baby Maybe" apartment:

775sf 1BR+Den/2BA

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 4d

Appreciate you saying that!

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 5d

A lot of the credit goes to Santi Ruiz for being really well prepared and asking great questions … but this is probably the best market wide and historical conversation I’ve had on apartments. And how it affects “apartments for families”

open.spotify.com/episode/63C6...

Why We Don't Build Apartments for Families

open.spotify.com

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 5d

🤝

Bobby Fijan @bobbyfijan.bsky.social · 5d

Appreciate you saying that ... and I'm glad you found it interesting/useful!