Bobby Fijan
@bobbyfijan.bsky.social
Building Housing for Families
I really like this 2BR/1BA floorplan in Kendall Square, Boston
720 square feet ... and deals with a narrow acute corner angle really well
Developers don't really building 2BR/1BAs anymore
720 square feet ... and deals with a narrow acute corner angle really well
Developers don't really building 2BR/1BAs anymore
January 6, 2026 at 9:38 PM
I really like this 2BR/1BA floorplan in Kendall Square, Boston
720 square feet ... and deals with a narrow acute corner angle really well
Developers don't really building 2BR/1BAs anymore
720 square feet ... and deals with a narrow acute corner angle really well
Developers don't really building 2BR/1BAs anymore
Really enjoyed this podcast conversation with Aaron Renn.
Any critiques I have of The City, are only because I want them to be great.
I think in order to be truly great, they have to designed FOR families. So that young people can have kids and stay.
open.spotify.com/episode/7fUP...
Any critiques I have of The City, are only because I want them to be great.
I think in order to be truly great, they have to designed FOR families. So that young people can have kids and stay.
open.spotify.com/episode/7fUP...
December 16, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Really enjoyed this podcast conversation with Aaron Renn.
Any critiques I have of The City, are only because I want them to be great.
I think in order to be truly great, they have to designed FOR families. So that young people can have kids and stay.
open.spotify.com/episode/7fUP...
Any critiques I have of The City, are only because I want them to be great.
I think in order to be truly great, they have to designed FOR families. So that young people can have kids and stay.
open.spotify.com/episode/7fUP...
Wow. Here's an awesome (and efficient) bathroom layout with the separate toilet closet condition ... which I really like
(don't need to have the window in the toilet room)
(don't need to have the window in the toilet room)
December 12, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Wow. Here's an awesome (and efficient) bathroom layout with the separate toilet closet condition ... which I really like
(don't need to have the window in the toilet room)
(don't need to have the window in the toilet room)
One of the craziest rules inhibiting “Family Friendly” apartments is the application of Fair Housing Act
Here is a (old) Christmas card photo for my family. I’m obviously biased but I also think this is a PERFECT lifestyle photo to illustrate the benefits of living in an apartment building
Here is a (old) Christmas card photo for my family. I’m obviously biased but I also think this is a PERFECT lifestyle photo to illustrate the benefits of living in an apartment building
December 5, 2025 at 2:39 AM
One of the craziest rules inhibiting “Family Friendly” apartments is the application of Fair Housing Act
Here is a (old) Christmas card photo for my family. I’m obviously biased but I also think this is a PERFECT lifestyle photo to illustrate the benefits of living in an apartment building
Here is a (old) Christmas card photo for my family. I’m obviously biased but I also think this is a PERFECT lifestyle photo to illustrate the benefits of living in an apartment building
In the urban downtown context "Family-Friendly" simply means a house where it's possible for a couple to have a baby ... which means having an extra "room"
Like this 1100sf 2BR+Den/Nursery unit ... that also has a dining table instead of an island
Like this 1100sf 2BR+Den/Nursery unit ... that also has a dining table instead of an island
December 1, 2025 at 5:33 PM
In the urban downtown context "Family-Friendly" simply means a house where it's possible for a couple to have a baby ... which means having an extra "room"
Like this 1100sf 2BR+Den/Nursery unit ... that also has a dining table instead of an island
Like this 1100sf 2BR+Den/Nursery unit ... that also has a dining table instead of an island
“Bobby Fijan is one of the country’s most vocal critics of his industry’s inertia”
I’ll take it!
I’ll take it!
November 26, 2025 at 4:22 PM
“Bobby Fijan is one of the country’s most vocal critics of his industry’s inertia”
I’ll take it!
I’ll take it!
We don't built apartments for families.
Look at the distribution of units built in Bellevue, Washington. In buildings since 2010 with more than 20 units ... over 70% of new units are Studio or 1BRs, and less than 2% have 3+ bedrooms
Look at the distribution of units built in Bellevue, Washington. In buildings since 2010 with more than 20 units ... over 70% of new units are Studio or 1BRs, and less than 2% have 3+ bedrooms
November 25, 2025 at 5:32 PM
We don't built apartments for families.
Look at the distribution of units built in Bellevue, Washington. In buildings since 2010 with more than 20 units ... over 70% of new units are Studio or 1BRs, and less than 2% have 3+ bedrooms
Look at the distribution of units built in Bellevue, Washington. In buildings since 2010 with more than 20 units ... over 70% of new units are Studio or 1BRs, and less than 2% have 3+ bedrooms
Rachel has been a reliably good and persistent writer on the topic of babies and housing for a long time now.
After decades of building for singles, cities are realizing the bill has come due. I wrote about the dearth of housing for families — and what it’ll take to fix it
www.vox.com/policy/46981...
www.vox.com/policy/46981...
Cities made a bet on millennials — but forgot one key thing
Can cities learn to love kids again?
www.vox.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Rachel has been a reliably good and persistent writer on the topic of babies and housing for a long time now.
Cities will always be a magnet for the ambitious & adventurous. A great places to be young - if you don’t have kids
Thats the heart of a Vox piece (I was quoted in) which explains how cities grew by attracting millennials but lost sight of the next step in people’s lives
www.vox.com/policy/46981...
Thats the heart of a Vox piece (I was quoted in) which explains how cities grew by attracting millennials but lost sight of the next step in people’s lives
www.vox.com/policy/46981...
Cities made a bet on millennials — but forgot one key thing
Can cities learn to love kids again?
www.vox.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Cities will always be a magnet for the ambitious & adventurous. A great places to be young - if you don’t have kids
Thats the heart of a Vox piece (I was quoted in) which explains how cities grew by attracting millennials but lost sight of the next step in people’s lives
www.vox.com/policy/46981...
Thats the heart of a Vox piece (I was quoted in) which explains how cities grew by attracting millennials but lost sight of the next step in people’s lives
www.vox.com/policy/46981...
Cities made a bet on millennials — but forgot one key thing
Can cities learn to love kids again?
www.vox.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:37 PM
The 16-18' wide rowhouse is the perfect "starter home”
My company is building this 3-story rowhouse typology is bc it’s beautiful and functional as both detached AND attached … so it works in both urban & suburban neighrbhoods
1200-1600sf, 3-4BR units
My company is building this 3-story rowhouse typology is bc it’s beautiful and functional as both detached AND attached … so it works in both urban & suburban neighrbhoods
1200-1600sf, 3-4BR units
November 23, 2025 at 2:33 AM
The 16-18' wide rowhouse is the perfect "starter home”
My company is building this 3-story rowhouse typology is bc it’s beautiful and functional as both detached AND attached … so it works in both urban & suburban neighrbhoods
1200-1600sf, 3-4BR units
My company is building this 3-story rowhouse typology is bc it’s beautiful and functional as both detached AND attached … so it works in both urban & suburban neighrbhoods
1200-1600sf, 3-4BR units
What does it look like for a City to be family friendly?
“In the City, I want there to be so many babies, so many strollers … that it is as common for you to see a stroller as it is for you to see someone walking a dog.”
“In the City, I want there to be so many babies, so many strollers … that it is as common for you to see a stroller as it is for you to see someone walking a dog.”
November 18, 2025 at 6:58 PM
What does it look like for a City to be family friendly?
“In the City, I want there to be so many babies, so many strollers … that it is as common for you to see a stroller as it is for you to see someone walking a dog.”
“In the City, I want there to be so many babies, so many strollers … that it is as common for you to see a stroller as it is for you to see someone walking a dog.”
"If you want to stay in the city and raise your family there, you should be able to do that”
“I think if a lot of these row houses here on Capitol Hill were $300,000 and you could just like buy one if you had a normal job, 80-90% of people would just do that”
open.spotify.com/episode/3bpq...
“I think if a lot of these row houses here on Capitol Hill were $300,000 and you could just like buy one if you had a normal job, 80-90% of people would just do that”
open.spotify.com/episode/3bpq...
A Floor Plan for Making Babies (ft. Bobby Fijan)
open.spotify.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:41 AM
"If you want to stay in the city and raise your family there, you should be able to do that”
“I think if a lot of these row houses here on Capitol Hill were $300,000 and you could just like buy one if you had a normal job, 80-90% of people would just do that”
open.spotify.com/episode/3bpq...
“I think if a lot of these row houses here on Capitol Hill were $300,000 and you could just like buy one if you had a normal job, 80-90% of people would just do that”
open.spotify.com/episode/3bpq...
Wow St. Louis! I was not familiar with your game
Might be the most striking apartment building I've seen. And it's 5 years old.
Might be the most striking apartment building I've seen. And it's 5 years old.
November 15, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Wow St. Louis! I was not familiar with your game
Might be the most striking apartment building I've seen. And it's 5 years old.
Might be the most striking apartment building I've seen. And it's 5 years old.
This apartment building in Sacramento has the *perfect* lifestyle photo as their hero/header image
New buildings never include any photos of any children.
New buildings never include any photos of any children.
November 15, 2025 at 7:38 PM
This apartment building in Sacramento has the *perfect* lifestyle photo as their hero/header image
New buildings never include any photos of any children.
New buildings never include any photos of any children.
Oversized chess sets are the funniest apartment amenity … that no one ever uses.
November 15, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Oversized chess sets are the funniest apartment amenity … that no one ever uses.
It’s a great time to be looking for an apartment in Nashville. Lease specials:
3 months free rent!
A free cruise!
3 months free rent!
A free cruise!
November 12, 2025 at 1:44 PM
It’s a great time to be looking for an apartment in Nashville. Lease specials:
3 months free rent!
A free cruise!
3 months free rent!
A free cruise!
Reposted by Bobby Fijan
Next Wednesday, November 19, I am participating in a panel discussion at AIA Brooklyn with @holz-bau.bsky.social and SO-IL's Jonathan Molloy about building code reform. It will be in-person in Downtown Brooklyn from 6 to 8:30 p.m., register free to attend here: www.eventbrite.com/e/rethinking...
Rethinking the Shape of the City: SingleStair Reform in Multifamily Housing
Hear from Michael Eliason, Jonathan Molloy and Stephen Smith.
www.eventbrite.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Next Wednesday, November 19, I am participating in a panel discussion at AIA Brooklyn with @holz-bau.bsky.social and SO-IL's Jonathan Molloy about building code reform. It will be in-person in Downtown Brooklyn from 6 to 8:30 p.m., register free to attend here: www.eventbrite.com/e/rethinking...
A great new paper on effects of smaller apartments on fertility:
“A supply shift for large units generates 2.3 times more births than an equal-cost shift for small units. This analysis concludes the supply of housing suitable for families can meaningfully contribute to demographic sustainability”
“A supply shift for large units generates 2.3 times more births than an equal-cost shift for small units. This analysis concludes the supply of housing suitable for families can meaningfully contribute to demographic sustainability”
November 10, 2025 at 11:55 PM
A great new paper on effects of smaller apartments on fertility:
“A supply shift for large units generates 2.3 times more births than an equal-cost shift for small units. This analysis concludes the supply of housing suitable for families can meaningfully contribute to demographic sustainability”
“A supply shift for large units generates 2.3 times more births than an equal-cost shift for small units. This analysis concludes the supply of housing suitable for families can meaningfully contribute to demographic sustainability”
Toddler playrooms are an amenity that could easily be added to any new apartment building. They don't up take much space ... just like kids.
Here's a cute (but small) one in a brand new building in DC
Here's a cute (but small) one in a brand new building in DC
November 10, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Toddler playrooms are an amenity that could easily be added to any new apartment building. They don't up take much space ... just like kids.
Here's a cute (but small) one in a brand new building in DC
Here's a cute (but small) one in a brand new building in DC
A long, meandering, but fun, conversation I did on family apartments and making cities better for families
open.spotify.com/episode/1qEX...
open.spotify.com/episode/1qEX...
24 : Bobby Fijan - Family Matters
open.spotify.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:57 PM
A long, meandering, but fun, conversation I did on family apartments and making cities better for families
open.spotify.com/episode/1qEX...
open.spotify.com/episode/1qEX...
A beautiful, simple, rowhome project I toured in Portland, Maine this year.
1100sf, 3BR+Den/2BA
Small, efficient floorplans = affordable
1100sf, 3BR+Den/2BA
Small, efficient floorplans = affordable
November 3, 2025 at 3:05 PM
A beautiful, simple, rowhome project I toured in Portland, Maine this year.
1100sf, 3BR+Den/2BA
Small, efficient floorplans = affordable
1100sf, 3BR+Den/2BA
Small, efficient floorplans = affordable
Reposted by Bobby Fijan
I agree w Emily there needs to be more housing for incremental life stages. I have 0 disagreements w her policy recommendations
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽
Pro-housing voices from the right of center are increasingly focused on a "we need housing For Families" framing.
In a new column I explain why broad-based liberalization, especially for inexpensive types of housing, is important for helping people start families: www.governing.com/urban/to-sup...
In a new column I explain why broad-based liberalization, especially for inexpensive types of housing, is important for helping people start families: www.governing.com/urban/to-sup...
To Support Families, Repair the Housing Ladder
The cost of housing is one big barrier to family formation. But simply building more single family homes isn't the answer.
www.governing.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I agree w Emily there needs to be more housing for incremental life stages. I have 0 disagreements w her policy recommendations
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽
I agree w Emily there needs to be more housing for incremental life stages. I have 0 disagreements w her policy recommendations
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽
Pro-housing voices from the right of center are increasingly focused on a "we need housing For Families" framing.
In a new column I explain why broad-based liberalization, especially for inexpensive types of housing, is important for helping people start families: www.governing.com/urban/to-sup...
In a new column I explain why broad-based liberalization, especially for inexpensive types of housing, is important for helping people start families: www.governing.com/urban/to-sup...
To Support Families, Repair the Housing Ladder
The cost of housing is one big barrier to family formation. But simply building more single family homes isn't the answer.
www.governing.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I agree w Emily there needs to be more housing for incremental life stages. I have 0 disagreements w her policy recommendations
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽
My emphasis for "family" housing (as a developer) is on building Baby Maybe units rather than Studios, bc I think they are under supplied relative to demand
I'll explain🔽