Why has the quality of brick buildings declined in the last 100 years?
The quality of modern construction (not necessarily brick) is a big pet peeve of mine and something I keep looking for answers.<p>The way I see it, some time right after WWII, people in US suddenly decided to live in a poorly built and ugly looking dwellings regardless of their income level. It is especially easy to see when looking at NYC buildings, some rentals are even explicitly advertized as "pre-war".<p>Examples of annoying trends in modern construction:<p><pre><code>  - Low "hobbit" ceilings. 
  - Short door frames.
  - Tiny windows.
  - Nearly non-existent noise/vibration insulation
</code></pre>
Even looking at materials used for construction today, I can't figure out why everyone thinks that drywall-on-sticks is acceptable? Literally every multi-story home I've been in felt hollow and shaky if you jump on the 2nd floor because there's no mass anywhere.<p>This is clearly not a cost issue, I have taken tours looking at brand-new multi-MM homes in Austin, TX just for fun. While they all had top-notch appliances, finishes and a gazilion of square feet and bedrooms, they were also built using the same "toy" materials and used generally similar architectural patters as middle class homes.<p>What caused this change? It's like our collective mind suddenly stopped caring about tall doors, 10ft ceilings and solid feel of floors we walk on.