The end result delivered simple bungalows and grand mansions next to each other. Shops mix with single family homes and small apartment buildings. Kids walk to school and public parks. Shopping can be done on foot. It’s all very pleasing to me. These neighborhoods are also fabulously economical to maintain long after the railroad company dissolves and dismantles its infrastructure. What I see is evidence that imperfect people fueled by greed, frugality, and necessity can converge to create pretty good places that hold up over time. We don’t need saints to build respectable towns that endure. This stuff isn’t complicated. But it does require consensus.

But times have changed. I want to describe what isn’t possible anymore. Or more accurately, what’s highly unlikely given prevailing dynamics. If I’m going to live in an apartment I’d prefer one that exists within a walkable neighborhood where I can manage without the expense of a car. I’d like basic necessities like employment, grocery stores, and entertainment close at hand. And I’d really rather have a human-scaled atmosphere rather than a massive tower block along a highway. One of the benefits of apartment living, at least for those who enjoy it, is having convivial neighbors nearby rather than anonymous corridors and desolate landscapes.

These century-old courtyard apartments have the look and feel of cottages and blend in with the adjacent single family homes. They’re inexpensive to build and deliver real value to the owner, the occupants, and the larger community. They work beautifully for young people just starting out, older people who have fewer needs in retirement, and people on tight budgets. This kind of market rate housing stock was once normal. But it isn’t anymore and it’s not coming back in a meaningful way.