Condo Towers

In addition to holding builders to higher standards, and making sure the inspectors are doing their job …

We could also question the very idea that steel-and-concrete towers are a sustainable mode of building, and living.

Considerable residential density can be achieved even with building heights of just 3-4 stories. (Jane Jacob talks about that in The Death and Life of Great American Cities.) And it’s a lot safer and probably overall nicer way to live.

Also, we could question the economic sustainability of “condos”. No one wants to pay those monthly condo fees as it is, and then on top of that you can get huge assessments anytime. There’s great incentives to postpone repairs, kick the can down the road.

Not trying to disparage the concept of cooperatively owned housing; I think that’s a great model actually. But maybe more sustainable for a 2- or 3- story multi-unit building, or a sprawling 9-bedroom mansion, than for a 20-storey concrete tower.