Reconsidering the suburban house 

• According to the United Nations, about two-thirds of the world's population will be living in cities by the next 30 years.
• The World Health Organization recommends classrooms to be not louder than 35 decibels, which is never the case in big cities.
• Children are facing disruption in their learning, and research points out that those who study in a noisy place are 11 months behind the ones who are studying in quieter places in the same vicinity.

Most of the city planning is done so that the affluent neighborhoods are in quieter areas.

However, this is also nullified when the ultra-rich who travel frequently stay close to the transit hubs (like Airports), being exposed to high decibels of noise.

Great TV content and a whole lot of options on the internet like Netflix have contributed to the rising trend of millennials staying at home more.

New Economy Apps on the smartphone make it easier to order pizza, or anything else required to stock the fridge. It's also less risky to stay at home and one can have a more predictable and manageable kind of fun, while being in control.

The downtime that the millennials are craving more of is also related to self-care and recharging, away from the outside world.

They have countless new options of activities to do at home, be it facial care, journal writing or yoga practice.

• The writer and journalist Jane Jacobs is mainly known for her writings on urban planning.
• Through magazines such as Architectural Forum or Fortune, she explained her perception on what was wrong with the approach to redevelopment in New York City, for instance.
• After having attended courses on urban planning, she launched her most famous book 'The death and life of great American cities', which was both highly praised and criticized.

The writer Jane Jacobs has always taken a high interest in urban planning, emphasizing the necessity to take into account community's needs.

She was particularly involved in redevelopment projects such as the ones concerning the Greenwich Village and Toronto, where she participated in demonstrations against changes that did not focus on community, but on individual interests of the 'master builders'.

• Even people who are usually good at handling stress can find their mental health affected by periods of continuous closeness. 
• Constant togetherness can be a great thing, right up until it isn’t. So if you live with others and find yourself needing space of your own, tell them that.
• Use creative hacks: for example, if a bedroom is doubling as an office, create the ritual, at the start of the workday, of shutting the door (a sign that the bedroom is now a workspace).

Just as we are extremely lucky if we get one great love in our lives, we should consider ourselves lucky if we get a real home. The abstract concept of a home is almost supernatural, with the house being the architecture, providing shelter. Great architecture is like the external beauty of a person, which may or may not be corresponding to what the person really is from inside.

Nevertheless, the outside is what provides a lust, a longing to see what’s inside.

Architects are creators in the real sense. They can conceptualize and implement great design and arouse deep feelings just by the work they do.

Their work is a siren call for many, both romantic and high in status.

It happened between the 1880s and the 1920s. Before that, most belongings were either made at home or bought from local craftspeople or general stores.

American manufacturing and transportation took off around the turn of the 20th century, so the economy of items began to centralize.

Psychologists found that people cling to material stuff as a response to a form of anxiety (about loss, financial instability, even body image) and that clutter itself is often a source of stress.

Clutter tends to accumulate in the homes those working people for whom the hope of financial stability and the lurking possibility of ruination are always present.

To pay attention is to be present, not just in the body — but also in the spirit. Paying close attention, and being mindful invokes a different feeling, and unpeels the outer layers of life.

Compared to the earlier centuries. the modern world has millions of things that demand our attention. Previous century works of poetry and literature are almost inconceivable now.

In this present age of distraction, it is even more important to preserve and nurture your precious attention.

External beauty and pleasing appearance often influence our perception, and we believe that this would dictate our experience after we attain it.

The day-to-day experience of living in a particular place cannot be judged by its outer beauty. Our relationships and social health are more important than architecture.

According to research, we get a dopamine surge from buying stuff that causes us to want more and more.

Delayed gratification when the order arrives a few days later also makes is more physiologically rewarding than shopping in stores.

Some online shops have made it especially easy to shop with a one-click buying process. Most major retailers offer free shipping, and only one in ten consumers return stuff they've bought online.

Americans are also taking up more space with all the stuff they are amassing. Self-storage units are rapidly increasing too.

Although real estate can be intimidating for beginners, you can start your journey with a few easy methods.

• Real Estate Investment Trusts: REITs enable you to buy shares in a company that works with income-producing real estate and earns high dividends.
• House Hacking: It involves buying a property with multiple living units where you live in one and rent out the rest for income that can pay off the mortgage or pay for maintenance.
• House Flipping: Buying cheap, underpriced homes, making renovations with as little as possible, and reselling it in the market for profit.

• The Unpredictability of The Market: There is never a guarantee that you will make a profit when you make a sale.
• Credit Risk: When investing using leverage, the bank owns the property until you have paid the loan in full. If you are unable to pay your installments on time, you risk facing foreclosure.
• Depreciation: Generally, real estate property will increase in value, but it is not guaranteed.
• Negative Cash Flow: It is the result of a low occupancy rate due to bad tenants that cause destruction or irregular payments. Property with hidden structural problems could also cause problems.
• Liquidity Risk: If you need cash quickly, you cannot rely on the money you invested in property. Real estate is a long-term investment.