In this article written for The Architects Newspaper, Edelson tracks the trend of micro-housing in New York, specifically a micro-apartment development called Carmel Place in Manhattan and how many choose to see it as a revolutionary effort or how many see it as exploitative. The author relives the series of events that led to the planning and development of micro-apartments. Middle-income residents could not afford to live in the high-end housing stock, and they didn’t want to be cramped in a tiny apartment for unaffordable rent. Luckily, a new housing solution was discovered: In exchange for small, single-occupancy units, residents could share amenities; like a restaurant-kitchen, dining area, lounging space, and cleaning services, by choosing to live in micro-apartments.
Edelson goes back to the past discussing how in a way, the micro-housing approach is a return to an old, widespread, and subsequently outlawed, real estate formula. In New York City around the beginning of the 20th century, making single-occupancy unit apartments from large hotels while also offering communal amenities, helped alleviate the housing shortage at the time. Up until legal changes in 1929, these so called “apartment hotels” were ideal housing for many individuals. Now it seems, that Carmel Place is bringing the successful history of micro-housing to the present.
While micro-apartments haven’t multiplied within cities across the U.S., there is an important economic formula that makes them attractive for developers. It comes down to the difference between rent per square foot and “chunk” rent. The former is what developers use as a metric for market demand and revenue. The latter is the monthly rent the tenant pays. Carmel Place is looking to promote high-quality housing while also exploiting the understanding that the consumer is paying on a chunk rent basis and the developer’s is focused on a dollar per square foot basis. Furthermore, because rent is les of a burden on residents’ finances, they become more reliable and hopefully long-term residents.
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Although micro-apartments were cut back in the 70s, it seems that in present day; they are making a major comeback. Carmel Place’s goal is to not only promote micro-housing and shared living spaces, but also to promote community. With New York being such a diverse place in the United States, and the United States being a melting pot of cultures, religions, and people in general; micro-housing opens the opportunity for mixed-family homes which is meant to help that promotion of community building.
