{"id":11058,"date":"2026-03-19T16:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T20:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/?p=11058"},"modified":"2026-03-19T17:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T21:07:04","slug":"the-great-housing-reversal-and-the-american-dream-what-comes-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/2026\/03\/the-great-housing-reversal-and-the-american-dream-what-comes-next\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cGreat Housing Reversal\u201d and the American Dream: What comes next?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"People

According to Mike Hathorne, author of The Great Housing Reversal<\/em>, neighborhoods, towns, and cities that offer smaller housing choices, and are smarter and well connected and accessible to more people of all generations, will be our future American dream.<\/p><\/div>\n

An insightful new lens for understanding the country\u2019s housing challenges comes from \u201cThe Great Housing Reversal and the New American Dream,<\/em>\u201d a compelling book by Mike Hathorne. Hathorne argues that the United States is not experiencing a temporary housing cycle but a lasting structural reversal. For decades, our housing system was built around a single dominant household type: married couples with children buying a detached home on a large lot in the suburbs. That model shaped zoning, financing, and the very idea of the American Dream.<\/p>\n

Hathorne suggests that younger generations are prioritizing connection, belonging, and proximity over large houses and big yards. They want to live near people, places, and experiences. Empty nesters increasingly want to downsize into the same thing. The problem is that our housing supply and the types of housing, zoning and financing has not caught up, and that is clearly playing out in Montgomery County.<\/p>\n

My wife and I are empty nester baby boomers who live on a large residential lot in Silver Spring that is well connected to the Sligo Creek Park system, but a bit too far to walk to the amenities that we love, like a local coffee shop, restaurants and even a dry cleaner.<\/p>\n

Downsizing has always been a goal of ours, but the cost of a smaller house or condo within walking distance of amenities within our close-in neighborhoods is dramatically more expensive than what we would get for our lovely house adjacent to the park. I\u2019m not complaining, but less yard and less house for the two of us in a walkable neighborhood would certainly be ideal. This is a problem that many young and old alike face in our region – how can any generation buy into the great, walkable, mixed-use communities of Montgomery County today? Sadly, most can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The demographics of our county, region, and country are changing significantly but unfortunately, the variety of housing types within our communities, particularly at our many centers, is not. The types of housing being created today in Montgomery County are primarily single-family houses greater than 3,500 square feet, multi-story townhouses at 2,300 square feet or larger, and luxury apartments. Most of these do not meet the needs of younger first-time home buyers or older empty nesters, who often want to stay in or near their family\u2019s neighborhoods. Current residential zones with large minimum lot sizes have essentially made purchasing a house in the county too expensive for most and the housing alternatives that younger generations want, illegal. There are almost no affordable, smaller starter homes available anywhere near our thriving neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

This is what we know today throughout Montgomery County and the nation:<\/p>\n