Are kids happier or healthier being raised with more space? The popular wisdom seems to be that if we could afford it, kids would have their own rooms, their own bathrooms, their own study space and their own media rooms. And if we can afford a little more, a larger room would be better so they could have their own lounge area for their friends or more organization of their stuff. All that stuff is a pipe dream for most row house dwellers - are suburban houses more kid friendly?
What about outside the house. Are kids healthier or happier with fenced yards, 1/4 acres, 1/2 acres, 10 acres?
Are the suburbs inherently more wholesome than the city? Less diverse and interesting? Of course you are going to tell me: "It depends." I'd like to know what research is actually out there, because Americans are pretty much deciding that cities aren't for kids.
I have no hard opinions on this subject and I assume that people will decide what's best for them and their kids. Obviously, it depends on a bunch of things about the particular area, some of which can be controlled or compensated for and some which can not. There are suburban neighborhoods that have urban walkability and community and there are some dreadful urban communities where you'd need a car to get anywhere. My house is near a huge park with a two mile loop that feels like the country side. Since we have no yard, I wouldn't have bought this house without it.
100K House has a post about this topic that I wish I had written. And alpha-mom made the move to Suburbia and regretted it, but many of her commenters did not.
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Your right, it depends! But I think that what it depends on is which locale does the most for overall family happiness. Unfortunately, a lot of families don't really think through all the factors that contribute to happiness. An extra 30 minutes in a commute makes for an hour less a day with your kids. That's a big minus even if the kids have a great yard to play in. There are no perfect houses or neighborhoods, so families really need to think through how much different scenarios line up with their values and the actual things they want to do.
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