Apartments are large buildings designed to house hundreds to thousands of people. They are found in most cities and countries (particularly first-world).
Description[]
An apartment complex.
Advantages[]
Balconies[]
If you live anywhere on the second floor or higher, your balcony grants you a vantage point to spot zombies and other survivors, as well as a decent sniping position (depending on where the balcony is located and the height/number of buildings around). Depending on your balcony structure, it may be possible with some work to climb to adjacent units, allowing you to scavenge (although the possibility of zombies in those units is a risk). If you are brave enough, you can gather enough soil from other residents' flower pots or scavenging and cover the top of the building with soil to create a garden. It will also be a place to use for when the sewers go.
Other Survivors[]
You may or may not want to meet up with other survivors. Some of them could be more dangerous than zombies. However, in an apartment, you're more likely to find survivors you know, so they aren't total strangers. If you're a loner or a paranoid type, you should barricade your apartment or floor to keep yourself relatively isolated. Your balcony would have to be infiltrated by ropes, ladders, or piles of debris, so it may be difficult to defend.
Climate[]
When the electricity goes out, things are going to get cold in many countries (if it is that season). Due to an apartment building's size and many small compartments, the interior of the building may be warmer than other smaller, less insulated buildings. However, at the same time, the construction of many apartment buildings doesn't allow for chimneys, and has no suitable areas for burning wood and debris for warmth.
Transportation[]
Many apartment buildings have underground parking. While they're often big places (and therefore could house several zombies), they're likely segregated from the street by some form of barricade if survivors have taken proper action. If you are raiding an abandoned parking lot, you could have access to a large stash of vehicles and their contents, as well as a bug-out if you can find the keys or can hot wire the car.
Disadvantages[]
Rot[]
Depending on the time of the outbreak, your apartment could either be empty or jam-packed. Further, and depending on the form of zombie and how infectious the strain is, you may have a lot of rotting corpses which are trapped in the building. Sewage leaks as the building deteriorates without electricity could potentially cause flooding in some apartments, further adding to the decay and possibility of disease.
Outside Population[]
Even though apartments provide a great defensive position if it is secured enough and has a good number of people, they are located in highly populated areas, meaning there are going to be a lot of zombies and/or bandits.
Narrow Hallways[]
In the case of the building being overrun by the undead, the narrow hallways don't offer much room to maneuver, and rooms have one entrance/exit, making it easy for invasion and difficult for escape. It is also can provide means of surrounding the zombies.
Trivia[]
- Apartments are among the best kinds of bases.