At different times in a typical person’s life, both ownership and rental housing are appropriate. Particularly during one’s student years and for some indeterminate time thereafter, the slightly transient, perhaps less secure nature of renting is perceived as a good thing. Sooner or later -- often when kids, or a marriage, or some financial success come along -- thoughts turn to securing one’s place of residence or in this case one’s live/work space.

Pride of ownership is tangible. The control over one’s destiny that ownership confers is empowering and satisfying. Knowing that one is free to renovate or otherwise alter one’s space, and that the landlord cannot throw one out are important, basic freedoms.

Unfortunately, for many, house ownership is out of reach.

There are still low and moderate-income artists whose presence in a city adds vitality to its cultural life. In the face of many societal trends, their tenure in inexpensive live/work spaces is often limited at best without intervention of non-profit developers or other agencies of subsidy. Gentrification of loft districts can be a real problem for these people, and most are not equipped to pay condominium prices.

Until recently, almost all live/work situations were rental, often governed by commercial leases. As much of live/work comes to more resemble housing, condominiums have arisen as a common form of ownership. In fact, many former rental buildings have been converted to condominiums, and new purpose-built "lifestyle loft" live/work buildings have become wildly popular in cities like San Francisco and Vancouver as a form of trendy entry-level housing.

Repeated experience has shown that a number of phenomena accompany the transition of a neighborhood from a primarily rental live/work to primarily ownership lifestyle lofts.

1. Owners take a different attitude towards their neighborhood, being concerned with stability, safety and property values.
2. Owners, particularly those who paid high prices for their units and especially those who don’t work in their spaces tend to treat units like apartments and vocally agitate to make their neighborhood more resemble the residential enclave where they may have past lived, or where they expect to be living having paid so much. This is called the "Imported Nimby" phenomenon. It can be hell on longstanding neighboring commercial operations.
3. Tenants, on the other hand, are often forgiving of neighborhood conditions, not necessarily being there for the "long haul" or as personally invested.

Therefore, it stands to reason that opportunities for rentals and ownership live/work should be available. Following on the above three points, live/work condominiums are best located in neighborhoods closer to amenities and farther away from major commercial /industrial activity. Conversely, neighborhoods whose continuing commercial and industrial character are important may be best served by rental live/work. It is likely that the only way for affordable live/work to servive in "desirable" neighborhoods is through subsidy or regulation of dubious efficacy.