That seems like an extraordinary claim that requires extraordinary evidence.
It seems intuitive to me that just because mid-rises are likely to be built using the cheapest materials that satisfy building codes doesn't mean it's impossible to build them with better sound isolation and other amenities that improve living there.
So can you provide some reason why mid-rises must be that way, as opposed to the Almighty Market just failing, as it usually does, to provide anything other than the cheapest least-common-denominator solution?
As I understand it, buildings don’t pencil out with more expensive materials until they are also much taller.
Insofar as people want to correct the Almighty Market on housing, they ban mid rises entirely. I don’t think there’s a political constituency for “apartments, but good” and supply is way too constrained for developers to care. Maybe we could at least get some kind of testing/disclosure of acoustic properties since it’s so hard to tell on a tour.
It seems intuitive to me that just because mid-rises are likely to be built using the cheapest materials that satisfy building codes doesn't mean it's impossible to build them with better sound isolation and other amenities that improve living there.
So can you provide some reason why mid-rises must be that way, as opposed to the Almighty Market just failing, as it usually does, to provide anything other than the cheapest least-common-denominator solution?