This lower-scale Goldilocks template works so well because it hits the sweet spot… Between the number of inhabitants and the roof area we need to produce enough solar power for them and their communities. Beyond solar we can turn these buildings into climate assets with state-of-the-art battery systems that balance solar supply and peak demand. We can also rethink our heating and cooling systems using existing tech to create thermal storage for ice or hot water that can be produced off peak and used on peak. This prototype could even compost food scraps and solid waste into usable soil and protein for animal feed. These buildings can be constructed with simple local materials like wood or brick, both of which are affordable and have lower embodied energy than steel and concrete. Importantly, this template could be designed for the spacious, communal and equitable living our communities sorely need.

We can work with communities to make these buildings visually appealing, socially and racially mixed, and responsive to the needs of local cultures and climates. This housing would be dense enough to support mass transit such as light rail, express buses, and bike networks connected to jobs, schools, and other daily needs across our cities. Imagine this in two cities, New York City and Calcutta. Despite their mega-downtowns, both experience sprawl in their growing outskirts, sprawl that could be replaced with versions of our Goldilocks template that respond to local climate and culture at the building scale, while encouraging walking, biking, and mass transit at the urban scale.