Taken from the preface of "A Pleasing Birth: Midwives & Maternity Care in the Netherlands" by Raymond De Vries
To the casual observer, these cute Dutch homes (row-houses) are nothing more than practical adaptations to limited space. Had we not lived in the Netherlands, I would have been satisfied by the simple syllogism: tiny country = tiny homes. However, after a few months in our Lilliputian house, I came to understand that Dutch homes are not just about economizing on space; they also reflect and reinforce peculiarly Dutch ideas about the importance of the nuclear family. In accommodating to our new home, we discovered we were spending more time together than we did in our much larger house in Minnesota. Small homes force families to live together in a way inhabitants of large American houses can avoid.
To the casual observer, these cute Dutch homes (row-houses) are nothing more than practical adaptations to limited space. Had we not lived in the Netherlands, I would have been satisfied by the simple syllogism: tiny country = tiny homes. However, after a few months in our Lilliputian house, I came to understand that Dutch homes are not just about economizing on space; they also reflect and reinforce peculiarly Dutch ideas about the importance of the nuclear family. In accommodating to our new home, we discovered we were spending more time together than we did in our much larger house in Minnesota. Small homes force families to live together in a way inhabitants of large American houses can avoid.
