Happiness Matters, How Commute Influence Our Lives and Works
“… It is much easier to adapt to things that stay constant than to things that change. So we adapt quickly to the joy of a larger house because the house is exactly the same size every time we come in the front door. But we find it difficult to adapt to commuting by car, because every day is a slightly new form of misery, with different people honking at us…”,
— Daniel Gilbert, “Stumbling on Happiness”.
Commute and Happiness Paradox
The message above briefly described how commutes impact our happiness scale. Moreover, a series of Swedish studies also enhance this psychological finding. In their studies from 2011–2013, the researcher discovered that people who endure more than a 45-minute commute were 40 percent more likely to divorce. Why?
Based on their finding, when one member of a couple takes on a longer commute, the other partner takes on more responsibilities at home and will more likely take part-time or lower-paying jobs.
This commute/happiness paradox is also reflected in Alois Stutzer and Bruno Frey’s study, “Stress that doesn’t pay: The commuting paradox”. They found out that people with one hour commute earn 40 percent more to be satisfied with life than someone who walks to the office.
So, is that why cities promote housing products such as “live/work units” to reduce our stress?
What is Life/ Work Unit?
A standard definition for a Live/Work unit is a unit containing separate work and dwelling spaces concurrently. The same tenant must occupy the workspace and dwelling space.
Many Live/Work units are inside mixed-use zones with housing units above the commercial podium. For example, Montgomery County’s “live/work units” are considered “accessory commercial use” and can only be located in commercial-residential or employment-oriented zones.
There are also cases where the units are located in a residential district. For example, Washington DC allows “single artist live-work space” in residential zones, and the artist may sell their artworks produced on site.
I don’t any “stress-related” language in our zoning codes. But will our cities become happier? I ask myself.
Industries, Housings and Our Cities
“Form follows function.” Interestingly I find it also true that our housings follow the industry.
Cottage industry
First, let’s talk about the “cottage industry.”
The history of the “cottage industry” began in the pre-industrial era when the merchant capitalist outsourced the work to their rural worker (also known as the “put-out”). These “stay-home” workers toiled on repetitive tasks such as sewing, tapestry, or household manufacturing. Business operators would travel around, purchasing raw materials, delivering to home workers, and then collecting from them to sell in a market. Because workers did not have to travel to work, household members could simultaneously spend time doing manufacture and their housework. This cottage industry was suitable for pre-urban times before the industrial revolution changed geographic relations.
Creative industry
There is no direct correlation that the function of the live/work unit ties directly to the history of the cottage industry. But many works from the arts sector are similar to cottage tasks. (For example, the décor items under “home & living” categories on Etsy’s website.)
Many cities also incentivize developers to build live/work units, and they tend target the arts and culture community. Why? That is because there is much more to the “Creative Economy” that art and cultural activities could bring to the city.
To enhance the “creative economy,” an organization like Artspace uses real estate as a tool to support artists through affordable live and workspace. Their projects offer communal areas such as galleries, meeting rooms, and green spaces that encourage local engagement, enhance collaboration and foster the community.
CulturalDC, another exemplary organization, fortifies the art industry by tailoring consulting services to other artists and designers when implementing creative spaces.
So, if you are not working in creative industries and your office does not have a “remote working” policy, could you still work at home?
“Home occupation”
The answer is possible. For example, “Home Occupation” as one group under “Accessory Residential” use categories in Montgomery zoning ordinance has allowed residents of the dwelling unit to conduct products or services in their dwelling unit.
What’s Next?
It seems that shortening the commute has many benefits to our happiness. Cities also want to use live/work units to activate streets, promote social interactions and enhance public safety.
During the pandemic, many industries has stagnant. While we gradually recover to normal, I wondered if we could popularize live/work units around the city. What kind of cityscape will that be?
