Families Say Cost of Housing Means They'll Have Fewer or No Children

I am not sure if you somehow mean something different, but 3 bedroom apartments absolutely do exist. I know for a fact that they exist in California, Texas and Florida. I don't have direct experience with them in other states however.

Idk where you are, but I grew up in a 3 bedroom apartment as a kid in the Bay Area in the 1990s and 2000s - we couldn't afford a house until I entered HS (nor did my parents want to take the risk until they had a GC, which itself took 12 years).

I also had friends who grew up in 4 person households with 2 bedrooms (also fairly common).

There were a lot of apartment complexes filled with us 1.5 gen immigrants, as our parents came from India, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Israel, and Russia on H1Bs, L1s, and EB1s.

Growing up in an apartment was a fairly common story for a large segment of us Californians of 1st and 1.5 gen immigrant descent.

Here’s a video on the subject: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iRdwXQb7CfM

Long story short though, modern fire mitigation techniques (materials, sprinklers, fire doors) greatly reduce the risk posed by having just one staircase, which would open up a wide array of apartment layouts.

I asked her why developers don't build 3-5 bedroom flats anymore. And got a bunch of answers. I said so this is basic failure of the free market to provide what society needs? And she said yes absolutely.

Gen Z is living in smaller apartments than their grandparents were living.

If you think about it, it is impressive how we’ve managed to practically drown out nature’s sole driving force of life itself. That’s how beaten younger folks feel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensborn

Currently western democracies are dominated by 50+ years old, who tend to vote more conservative policies, which benefit them.

Why would we spend very large amounts of the GDP to support old people through health and retirement programs, but refuse to fund quality daycare, schools and child-oriented infrastructure (playgrounds, sports clubs and so on). Especially given that a healthy and educated youth will create tomorrow's prosperity for the country. Unlike the old who have already lived their lives.

If you think that I'm exagerating, I'd suggest listening to what happens in city councils, in retired-dominated cities: they often refuse improvements for families to fund their own programs. It's not a myth, I saw it with my own eyes, and it's very rational.

Even now landlords will prefer to keep a building empty rather than lower the rent.

This is the exact problem Japan is facing. You should go read up on how well that's "self-correcting" (it isn't)