American Nightmares

Another one of my favorite subject ARCHITECTURE - actually my life line from where I administer the intravenous fluid to survive this physical world.
I am working here in the US for the past 5 years in a small office that deals with Residential Projects. I opted to shift to a smaller office from a big one - to come in touch with the REAL PEOPLE - WITH REAL DREAMS (obviously based on thier income) and PROBLEMS (created becoause they dream bigger than they can eschew).
I think to be a good architect you have to be socially sensitive and design to exhilerate the spirit.
It has been a very interesting journey - I have met people from all walks of life -people from all different nations - religions - aspirations -dreams - apprehensions.
But all these people have common goal of attaining the "American Dream" - their Home.
But it is sad that I am unable to push the boundaries in this contractor-mortgage dominated field of practice. Any Tom-Dick-Harry who can weild his weapons of mass production (construction tools) can become a contractor.
Their lack of sensitivity backed by the ever hanging cloud of mortgage and loan payments - trickle down on bastardizing the home designs.
I have designed houses where the bathrooms for a certain class of people is a bedroom for the other where a family of two three share that room. But the windows and the configuration and the materials and the look of the houses is almost the same.
It is very surprising - a country like US - priding itself for individualistic growth - the individual has accepted this form of architecture.
I also beleive the social problems in this country are because of the way these houses are - lacking sufficient daylight - smelly, creaky and cramped - (most because of the absurd zoning laws) - people tend to avoid being home or are just simply stressed once they are there.
I simply wonder sometimes and ask is this really THE AMERICAN DREAM or NIGHTMARE