Cities in North America need to get back to building housing, but our construction industry has a problem. Apartment buildings are expensive to build, and expensive to maintain. Our codes are oriented towards sprawling single-family houses and luxury apartments for singles and childless couples, and little in between.

Our apartment buildings are inefficient, both in terms of energy and layouts. Family-friendly apartments are unaffordable to families, and the United States has a higher rate of building fire deaths than almost any other country in the developed world. North America takes a unique approach to regulating construction, and it’s not working. It’s time to learn from the rest of the world, and find out what works.