But there would be a rather serious shortage of housing available in the *wizarding* districts.
We've been handed a pretty strong suggestion in canon that in the modern wizarding mindset, the proper business of magical persons is magic. Not the constructuon business. Which, frankly, would take a lot of magic to hide. Apart from individual wizarding families building or modifying individual houses off in some out-of-the-way location, I very much doubt that there is any more wizarding housing than there was when they all opted out and hid themselves.
The wizarding urban enclaves are hidden in the midst of existing Muggle cities. I doubt that there is any more *room* to build additional housing. I seriously doubt that there is housing for much of anyone in the Diagon/Nocturne Alley enclave other than the shopkeepers themselves. Hogsmeade is all-wizarding and there is space to build in the area, but not all wizards live in Hogsmeade, either.
This is where Rowling's underlying template has a blank spot. She hasn't given us much indication that her backstory take account of population dynamics or any change in demographics. But really, the *mundane* population of great Britain has increased tenfold since 1692. The wizarding population is bound to have done so as well, and where are they all to live if not out among Muggles, if there is no more space to build, room to spread out, and no speculative builders in the community itself. They cannot all live in wizarding districts, and they don't. Even the *Blacks* lived in a Muggle district. Wizards are bound to have been adapting Muggle properties for aeons.
I think what is meant by wizard houses is a Muggle house adapted magically, not constructed completely by wizards (and even if they did, do you think they'd do it the hard way?). I can't shake the feeling that would be slightly harder to adapt a trendy upmarket apartment. I also can't shake the feeling that a lot of wizards just wouldn't want that sort of house. It's a bit too full of Muggle conveniences and not enough character.
They probably wouldn't use a Muggle estate agent, either. Who knows how they end up with their houses? Be imaginative!
I forgot to add that commuting and shopping convenience wouldn't be much of an issue, either because - well, uh, Apparating and Floo! So that's not much of a reason to shove everybody in London all the time (but I think the real reason they always live in London is because it's the only place in the country a lot of writers know much about).
You misunderstood me. I wasn't saying they should only live in Wizard districts or build their own houses. I was just saying there should be more variety, to save it from becoming cliche ;)
But I just wanted to ask ... Why do you think they'd be noticed or there wouldn't be enough room to expand their homes? They can adapt cars to have more space on the inside than it has on the out! They have an underground Ministry department! They have taken over a building that looks like a small shop on the outside but an enormous, multi-story hospital on the inside! Space isn't an issue for wizards!
But yes ... I never said they wouldn't live around Muggles. I just meant I can't see half of the wizarding population living like fashionable Muggles.
Oh I quite agree that wizards would prefer freestanding stuctures, or at the very least a semi-detached or row house, rather than a few rooms on one floor of a building otherwise occupied by Muggles.
But I'm not convinced that the charmed cars and what all are really a valid counter-example of the space constraints. A car is a temporary emvironment. I'm not convinced that even wizards would entrust their lives and all their property to the sort of "virtual" space which can be created by magic.
We've been handed a pretty strong suggestion in canon that in the modern wizarding mindset, the proper business of magical persons is magic. Not the constructuon business. Which, frankly, would take a lot of magic to hide. Apart from individual wizarding families building or modifying individual houses off in some out-of-the-way location, I very much doubt that there is any more wizarding housing than there was when they all opted out and hid themselves.
The wizarding urban enclaves are hidden in the midst of existing Muggle cities. I doubt that there is any more *room* to build additional housing. I seriously doubt that there is housing for much of anyone in the Diagon/Nocturne Alley enclave other than the shopkeepers themselves. Hogsmeade is all-wizarding and there is space to build in the area, but not all wizards live in Hogsmeade, either.
This is where Rowling's underlying template has a blank spot. She hasn't given us much indication that her backstory take account of population dynamics or any change in demographics. But really, the *mundane* population of great Britain has increased tenfold since 1692. The wizarding population is bound to have done so as well, and where are they all to live if not out among Muggles, if there is no more space to build, room to spread out, and no speculative builders in the community itself. They cannot all live in wizarding districts, and they don't. Even the *Blacks* lived in a Muggle district. Wizards are bound to have been adapting Muggle properties for aeons.
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They probably wouldn't use a Muggle estate agent, either. Who knows how they end up with their houses? Be imaginative!
But I'm sick of trendy apartments as well.
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But I just wanted to ask ... Why do you think they'd be noticed or there wouldn't be enough room to expand their homes? They can adapt cars to have more space on the inside than it has on the out! They have an underground Ministry department! They have taken over a building that looks like a small shop on the outside but an enormous, multi-story hospital on the inside! Space isn't an issue for wizards!
But yes ... I never said they wouldn't live around Muggles. I just meant I can't see half of the wizarding population living like fashionable Muggles.
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But I'm not convinced that the charmed cars and what all are really a valid counter-example of the space constraints. A car is a temporary emvironment. I'm not convinced that even wizards would entrust their lives and all their property to the sort of "virtual" space which can be created by magic.
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