Living Spaces

While I was listening to the latest broadcast of the BBC's Saving Species programme, where a number of eminent individuals commented on and discussed various topics related to the existence of life on this planet.  One key thought that came up time after time was the impact of human population growth on resource use and the populations of non-human animals.

I have posted previously about the recent human population milestone, but it would appear to me that there are some expectations those of us living in highly developed countries, such as the UK, have that are incompatible with us living within our means as far as resource use is concerned.  In the UK (and, I suspect, in other countries) this desire is, at least in part, fuelled by TV programmes showing people acquiring, through one method or another, the home of "their dreams".  This will often be large with grounds to match that is not impacted upon by other dwellings.  For most of us, this would be out of our reach and will remain a dream, though it is still common for us to want to live in a house of some sort.  I have to admit here that I live in a terraced house myself and have done so for many years.

However, I am growing in the opinion that it makes much more sense to live in a flat (apartment) where a number of living spaces can occupy the area one house and garden may stand on.  Because there would be fewer walls exposed to the outside, heating is likely to be more resource-friendly and any garden space used by many families.

Though not quite in this manner, I have noted in the town I live in that many older houses and their grounds are being demolished to have one or two replaced by, what appears to be, almost a whole new housing estate, which may include flats and/or apartments (is the word flat in this context peculiarly British, or do the words flat and apartment mean different things?) - I guess the aim here is to maximise the space available to satisfy the needs of the local population.  I would argue if all new residential buildings were flats/apartments, it would be possible to make that advantage greater than building houses - is this too radical an idea??