VOA标准英语2013--美国人转变原有对住房的观念

 

Americans Experience Shift In Living Arrangements 美国人转变原有对住房的观念

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA — Homebuilders and developers in the United States are seeing a growing demand for homes that can accommodate families that span generations -- from aging parents to grown children, and even grandchildren.  A new neighborhood has been built to address these needs.

Alicia Byassee came to look for her dream home.  But instead, she found a floor plan that would help her mother better care for her grandparents. “She’s driving over an hour every day to come see them [her parents] or to come stay with them and it would just be a lot easier on her and her family if there was something like that that they can live in,” she said.

This new development is filled with homes with a so-called “mother-in-law suite” -- a section of the house with a separate living space, kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom.  Perfect for those entering their 50's and 60's, said developer Emile Haddad. “The baby boomers are all reaching an age where one of the two parents are passing away and a lot of people would like to have mom or dad move in with them rather than going into a [nursing] home,” she explained.

A nationwide survey by homebuilder PulteGroup finds a growing number of homeowners expect to have more family members live with them.  

Pulte's Kristin Pasternak said that includes aging parents and grown children. “It seems like there is starting to be a little bit of a cultural shift about maybe a different attitude towards multi-generation families living together and staying in the same space,” she said.

The study finds that many of these families are planning to either renovate¹ their home or buy a new one.  Helen Artienda is one of them. “I’m kind of looking for a house within a house so that my son can move back home after he finish his school since the economy is not [doing] too well nowadays,” Artienda stated.

The economy is one of the main reasons why living arrangements are changing, said architecture and gerontology, professor Victor Regnier. “In 2008 a lot of things happened.  People lost equity² in their house.  They also lost wealth, and I think that idea of imagining how a conventional housing unit can be sliced into different types of areas is something that is much more common today than it has been in the past,” he said.

The U.S. Census³ finds there has been an increase in the number of families with three or more generations living together in the U.S.  A large share of them are Hispanics, African Americans and Asians. Yet Regnier said this trend is really driven by economics, instead of cultural norms.

“A lot of third world countries have had this kind of housing arrangement partly because they didn’t have enough income to be able to purchase additional space and so everybody lives together in a communal⁴ way,” Regnier explained. 

Regnier said China and India are examples, though he says demographers⁵ expect people in these countries to live on their own as they become more affluent⁶.   But in the U.S., he said, the idea of a home within a home may be here to stay, because the extra space can serve multiple functions and add to the house's value. 

1 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

2 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

3 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

4 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

5 demographers   

n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过，人口学家们指出，“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
• Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网

6 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。