The Spread of the 2-Body Problem
Academics have long been aware of the 2-Body Problem, when both partners have a career with limited opportunities. Apparently it's a much wider problem for young people today, where more couples have two careers. In order to support both, they're crowding into job-rich, transit-rich neighborhoods of metroplexes. This causes a number of problems, from income segregation to housing shortages.
Some ways to address this:
* Improve transit everywhere. Especially, look at making more neighborhoods bikeable and walkable, which is a lot cheaper than expanding and running a whole bus system -- although that's needed too. Where possible, connect residential centers like apartment complexes to places where people can work and shop.
* Expand mixed-use neighborhoods and buildings. These support the ability to work near home. A cityscraper with a layer of retail shops on the street, a bank and several other businesses above that, then apartments, is a job-rich neighborhood unto itself that doesn't require transit. A smaller city's midrise might have a layer of retail, one big local business, and then apartments. On an individual scale, provide live-work buildings such as houses with a flex room for home businesses or townhouses with office or retail space below and one or two apartments above. These lovely little village complexes are very Terramagne-esque. Auxiliary business units allow towns and small cities to boost density without damaging character.
* Remove zoning barriers to types of development that people want and need, like affordable housing and mixed-use neighborhoods. Allow the places to adapt to their people.
* In a 2-body problem, consider whether both careers are vocations or one is just a way to put beans on the table. If the latter, consider changing the second career, as switching fields is much more common now than it used to be and thus less likely to impair opportunities.
* In general, consider the portability of careers. Some jobs can be done from anywhere, some are in high demand almost everywhere, while others are much less portable. It is to everyone's advantage to have at least a backup career that is portable. If you are not yet paired up, check potential matches to see whether at least one of you has a portable career.
* Promote family businesses. Two careers only create a 2-body problem if separate. If one spouse is a cook and the other a restaurant manager, they just need space to run a restaurant.
Some ways to address this:
* Improve transit everywhere. Especially, look at making more neighborhoods bikeable and walkable, which is a lot cheaper than expanding and running a whole bus system -- although that's needed too. Where possible, connect residential centers like apartment complexes to places where people can work and shop.
* Expand mixed-use neighborhoods and buildings. These support the ability to work near home. A cityscraper with a layer of retail shops on the street, a bank and several other businesses above that, then apartments, is a job-rich neighborhood unto itself that doesn't require transit. A smaller city's midrise might have a layer of retail, one big local business, and then apartments. On an individual scale, provide live-work buildings such as houses with a flex room for home businesses or townhouses with office or retail space below and one or two apartments above. These lovely little village complexes are very Terramagne-esque. Auxiliary business units allow towns and small cities to boost density without damaging character.
* Remove zoning barriers to types of development that people want and need, like affordable housing and mixed-use neighborhoods. Allow the places to adapt to their people.
* In a 2-body problem, consider whether both careers are vocations or one is just a way to put beans on the table. If the latter, consider changing the second career, as switching fields is much more common now than it used to be and thus less likely to impair opportunities.
* In general, consider the portability of careers. Some jobs can be done from anywhere, some are in high demand almost everywhere, while others are much less portable. It is to everyone's advantage to have at least a backup career that is portable. If you are not yet paired up, check potential matches to see whether at least one of you has a portable career.
* Promote family businesses. Two careers only create a 2-body problem if separate. If one spouse is a cook and the other a restaurant manager, they just need space to run a restaurant.