High Life (Paperback)

Matthew Lasner

ISBN 10: 0300269196 / ISBN 13: 9780300269192

Published by Yale University Press, 2023

About this Item

Paperback. The first comprehensive architectural and cultural history of condominium and cooperative housing in twentieth-century America. Today, one in five homeowners in American cities and suburbs lives in a multifamily home rather than a single-family house. As the American dream evolves, precipitated by rising real estate prices and a renewed interest in urban living, many predict that condos will become the predominant form of housing in the twenty-first century. In this unprecedented study, Matthew Gordon Lasner explores the history of co-owned multifamily housing in the United States, from New York Citys first co-op, in 1881, to contemporary condominium and townhouse complexes coast to coast. Lasner explains the complicated social, economic, and political factors that have increased demand for this way of living, situating the trend within the larger housing market and broad shifts in residential architecture and family life. He contrasts the prevalence and popularity of condos, townhouses, and other privately governed communities with their ambiguous economic, legal, and social standing, as well as their striking absence from urban and architectural history. The first comprehensive architectural and cultural history of condominium and cooperative housing in twentieth-century America. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780300269192

Bibliographic Details

• Title: High Life (Paperback)
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300269196
• ISBN 13: 9780300269192
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Today more than one in eight Americans buying a home selects a co-op, condominium apartment, or suburown house. Despite the proliferation of these structures across the American landscape, until now scholars have overlooked the impact of collective homeownership on our lives. In this important new study, Matthew Lasner traces the history of collectively owned multifamily housing from the first New York City co-op building in 1881 to the contemporary condominium complex. Lasner charts the rise of collectively owned multifamily residences and the accompanying revolution of the modern American real estate market by explaining the complicated social and economic factors that increased demand for a different type of home, situating the topic of collective home ownership within the larger housing market and focusing on the general history of residential architecture, as well as regional differences in laws, customs, and resources. In addition, he contextualizes the treatment of cooperative housing within other modern architectural developments such as department stores, malls, and office buildings.

About the Author

Matthew Gordon Lasner is associate professor of urban studies and planning at Hunter College.