Going big has gotten America into a lot of hot water recently. We’ve had big, risky loans, big houses that we couldn’t afford, and large sums of money we couldn’t pay back. And while it seems to be ingrained in our consumerist lifestyles that more is always necessary, lately there’s been some backlash against the notion that bigger is somehow better.
The backlash, at least in some areas of the country, isn’t something new. Instead, it started years ago, with the acknowledgment that our natural resources are indefinite, and that expanding isn’t always a smart idea. From a practical and economic perspective, homeowners, car owners, and everyday consumers started to ask themselves—how can I save money and time and—do I really need this?
This has led consumers to demand more efficient, well-designed, practical, sustainable, and economical products and lifestyles.
Bye-Bye Big Cars
With gas prices climbing over $4 a gallon and no foreseeable end in sight, the world of large cars is coming to an end, and has been for the past few years. Carmakers are seeing decreased sales for larger cars and SUVs. In 2007, General Motors, who didn’t get with the trend quick enough, reported 38.7 billion in losses and recently announced they will try to sell their Hummer brand. (Good luck with that.)
The demand for small cars and hybrids is so great that automakers are having a hard time producing them fast enough. Some of these in-demand cars are electric, some are hybrid, but all are more fuel-efficient because they’re lighter and more compact.
Some of the smaller cars on the market (or soon to be released) are the Toyota IQ, the Smart Car, the Tata Nano, and the Raven.
Home Sweet (Small) Home
The average size of a home in 1950 was around 1,000 square feet; today the average is over 2,200 square feet. As housing size has grown, often to McMansion size proportions, costs to heat, cool, light, fill, and maintain such homes has also risen. These large houses are often plopped down in poorly designed communities that are isolated from public transportation and services, necessitating long commutes and a car-dependent lifestyle.
While there are still many track home complexes, there has been a shift to smaller and sometimes denser living. Smart growth, mixed-use design, and New Urbanism are just some of the movements that are incorporating these benefits.
The reasons are plenty—a bigger house means a bigger mortgage, one that many, judging from the current economic crisis, couldn’t afford. A smaller house and yard means less free time spent on maintenance, upkeep, energy, and more money in the pocket. With smaller space, we’re less likely to have to purchase a bunch of furniture to fill up the space and are more likely to remain cognizant of what we need and what we don’t. Smaller homes and living spaces combined with good urban planning mean people can walk or ride their bikes instead of using their cars.
