Not really, part of the reason people want to live centrally in the first place is the density and the high quality turn-of-the-century housing. Tall ceilings, nice wooden floors, large windows. It sounds like you've never actually been inside one.
> It sounds like you've never actually been inside one.
No, I've actually seen several ones (not Swedish though)
Most of them are cramped (especially in Ireland/UK)
I've saw the tall ceilings (not really an advantage to me), wooden floors are nice as well as the large windows, seems like this is more common in Continental Europe (France/Germany)
But: no elevators until they managed to fit one somehow, the old doors/windows may be a liability (maintenance also they are not very good heat insulators)
I'm talking about continental Europe and Scandinavia (including Stockholm where I live). UK is very different in terms of apartment condition. I've seen many carpeted floors, and even carpeted bathrooms of all things, really not acceptable here. Older buildings are very well renovated, and are generally better built than most new buildings.
As for the rest of Europe, the demand speaks for itself, even if you don't personally like the style and high ceilings, most people do.
Modern housing on the continent is far superior to that in the UK (and I like carpets!).
There were standards on house building which assured a minimum floor area which were later abandoned. The UK now has the smallest homes in Europe. The windows are tiny, and the materials are cheap.
I agree turn-of-the-century housing was generally generously proportioned, and well built, and stand the test of time. And the housing that followed up to 1940s, even the austere housing that followed in the 50s wasn't bad either. But from the 60s onwards the quality took a nose dive (there are some good quality social housing complexes), and the puny mock victorian 80s and 90s houses are the worst examples.
I'd be interested to hear why the UK took a turn for the worse, and other places didn't (or perhaps they did to a lesser degree). Belgium is similarly cramped but seems to continue to build good proportioned housing.
