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This was posted in the Atlantic Cities a few days ago:
Quote:
Home is supposed to be a safe haven, and a resident with a demanding job may feel trapped in a claustrophobic apartment at night—forced to choose between the physical crowding of furniture and belongings in his unit, and social crowding, caused by other residents, in the building’s common spaces. Research, Kopec says, has shown that crowding-related stress can increase rates of domestic violence and substance abuse.
For all of us, daily life is a sequence of events, he explains. But most people don’t like adding extra steps to everyday tasks. Because micro-apartments are too small to hold basic furniture like a bed, table, and couch at the same time, residents must reconfigure their quarters throughout the day: folding down a Murphy bed, or hanging up a dining table on the wall. What might seem novel at the beginning ends up including a lot of little inconveniences, just to go to sleep or make breakfast before work. In this case, residents might eventually stop folding up their furniture every day and the space will start feeling even more constrained.
What do you guys think? Would you feel comfortable living in one and for how long?
For me I would have to say that somewhere between 400-600 sq ft is my comfort zone when it comes to apartment sizes since I don't need an apartment to be too big, but I don't want it to be too small either. There are times where I want a change of pace from my bedroom and I sit in a main area that is separate from the bedroom.
Wait, the Atlantic Cities has found a disadvantage to living in an ant colony? What next, a 70 degree day in December in NYC? Oh crap, that's two more signs of the apocalypse.
To be fair, the article talked about these apartments being a problem for older adults dealing with a lot of stress and those with children. In addition to that, it also mentioned how these microapartments may only temporarily lower prices just to have the prices inflate when more of them go online. That can be problematic especially for those with children who, for one reason or another are forced to stay in a city.
I would have no problem with a micro apartment, I am a minimalist. I would hardly be there anyway, work, gym, whatever...I have lived in stiudios, no problem.
However, that is alone, sharing with my DD....yes, I would probably be one of those Mothers who killed her kid.
Last edited by jasper12; 12-22-2013 at 07:15 PM..
Reason: Edit
I would last an hour in one of those things before I'd start climbing the walls. That being said, people in urban areas usually profess to live without cars. So I ask without a car where would you store personal transport items like bicycle, Segway, scooter, Vespa or skateboard? Where would you store your winter clothing? Where would you store hobby possessions, for example a cello, tuba or drum set for a musician?
It sounds okay for single people who rotate from work to watering hole/club and then to sleep only to do that same exact cycle all over again the next day and so on and so forth but what about everyone else? Most people possess more than a suitcase of clothes.
I would last an hour in one of those things before I'd start climbing the walls. That being said, people in urban areas usually profess to live without cars. So I ask without a car where would you store personal transport items like bicycle, Segway, scooter, Vespa or skateboard?
I think the idea is there'd be common storage for bicycles.
Quote:
Where would you store your winter clothing?
Don't be silly, you just buy new clothing every season.
Quote:
Where would you store hobby possessions, for example a cello, tuba or drum set for a musician?
Don't be silly, the only "hobby" appropriate for the young urban professional living in such a place is going out on the town.
In addition to that, it also mentioned how these microapartments may only temporarily lower prices just to have the prices inflate when more of them go online. That can be problematic especially for those with children who, for one reason or another are forced to stay in a city.
This is actually a good point. Right now microapartments are a trendy idea with young singles because the idea of minimalism has a certain cache. But the people who are really struggling to find apartments at an affordable price in cities are more the working poor than those for whom lower income status is transitory. Hence while a building of micro-apartments may initially appeal to the gentrifier set, in the longer run it will probably turn into de-facto low income housing (with a lot of families living there for lack of other options), or else raise prices to the point where the supposed advantage of affordability is lost.
I've never seen anything like it before. It's very reminiscent of the "Live, work, and play" slogans that are used to attract young urban professionals to these things. In a way it's like their lifestyles are being defined for them.
In all seriousness: what exactly is a yuppie lifestyle? It seems to be the commercialized version of what hipsters have been doing for decades.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton
This is actually a good point. Right now microapartments are a trendy idea with young singles because the idea of minimalism has a certain cache. But the people who are really struggling to find apartments at an affordable price in cities are more the working poor than those for whom lower income status is transitory. Hence while a building of micro-apartments may initially appeal to the gentrifier set, in the longer run it will probably turn into de-facto low income housing (with a lot of families living there for lack of other options), or else raise prices to the point where the supposed advantage of affordability is lost.
I agree and I didn't even think of the policy implications. Right now, we have public housing and some efforts for to increase inclusionary housing in newer units so that low income residents can live in areas with decent schools and have greater access to schools. These micro-apartments could become seen as the "free market" solution for low income residents by conservative politicians such as Bloomberg so they an dance around the issue of income stratification.
I've never seen anything like it before. It's very reminiscent of the "Live, work, and play" slogans that are used to attract young urban professionals to these things. In a way it's like their lifestyles are being defined for them.
In all seriousness: what exactly is a yuppie lifestyle? It seems to be the commercialized version of what hipsters have been doing for decades.
I agree and I didn't even think of the policy implications. Right now, we have public housing and some efforts for to increase inclusionary housing in newer units so that low income residents can live in areas with decent schools and have greater access to schools. These micro-apartments could become seen as the "free market" solution for low income residents by conservative politicians such as Bloomberg so they an dance around the issue of income stratification.
One thing has nothing to do with the other. Liver work play has to do with where live in relation to job and leisure, not the size of your residence.
As for their lifestyles being "defined for them" - what else is there? Live, work, play. . .that's pretty much everything right. The idea is that you can do this in your home or outside your front door by choosing to live in a place that can accommodate this. If people want to do this (and many do) what's it to you?
I just don't understand the mentality that is so hostile to urbanism that people don't even want the option for it to exist.
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