To give a sense of scale, a hotel room in a mid-range hotel is often between 400 and 500 square-feet, so a micro-apartment dweller is making a life, including meal preparation, in a space significantly smaller than a hotel room.
Since my
earlier post, much as happened in the world of micro-apartments. In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg spearheaded a push for 300 square-foot
units. Interestingly, one of the proposed developers
is a tech millionaire who, after having lived the lifestyle of the elaborate
and out-sized “crib”, decided that life was better lived with less stuff. He reduced himself to a 420-square-foot
home. It’s invigorating to see a
developer with that level of philosophical commitment.
In San Francisco,
a political battle erupted over a proposal to
allow 220-square-foot units. Opponents
argued that the micro-apartments would provide housing for young tech workers, forcing
families from the city and demeaning the tenants by forcing them to live in tiny
spaces. I can’t grasp either objection. Wouldn’t providing small units for tech
workers reduce pricing pressure on larger units? And how can it be demeaning to live in a micro-apartment
if one does so voluntarily?
Eventually,
San Francisco allowed 375 micro-apartments as
a test. After the units are complete, the
impacts on the housing market will be assessed and a long-term policy
developed.
Looking at the
bigger picture, Business Insider commented on the national trend toward micro-apartments.
Nor are
micro-apartments limited to new construction.
A shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island dating from 1828 has been redeveloped into micro-apartments above
small-scale retail.
Given the
market trend, it’s not surprising that developers are finding effective ways to
make micro-apartments more livable. I’ll
share several examples in my next post.
Despite the
puzzling objections in San Francisco, micro-apartments still seem an essential
component of urbanism. Obviously, they
can’t be the only living units, but they should be a component of a
well-balanced housing mix. Micro-apartments
provide an opportunity for certain demographics, including newly-launched single
millennials and active single seniors, to live affordably in settings where
they can enjoy the benefits of urban life.
Unfortunately,
policies in many smaller cities often work against micro-apartments. Typical issues are minimum parking standards
for units that are often occupied by people who don’t own a car and impact fees
that are based on units rather than square footage, incentivizing developers to
build a 900-square-foot apartment when three 300-square-foot apartments might
better meet the market demand and community needs.
It’s just
one more way that inertia and a mindless clinging to the past are impeding
urbanism.
As always,
your questions or comments will be appreciated.
Please comment below or email me.
And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)
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