Depending on how you handle stress and small spaces, the micro-living phenomenon may be a godsend or the bane of your existence.
Keep reading to learn how living in a small space just might affect your health — and some tips for making it work in the right tiny apartment.
It could be argued that folks have been living in small spaces since the first cave went on the market — occupying that brownstone in prehistoric Manhattan almost certainly required resources. Though leasing a small apartment in an expensive market saves on the rent, there are other significant implications, as well.
Modern-day studies, like Susan Saegert's research as director of the Housing Environments Research Group, help to determine the social and psychological effects of housing. In Jacoba Urist's December 2013 article for The Atlantic, Saegert makes the interesting assertion that a proliferation of smaller living spaces will ultimately set a tiny footprint as the baseline floor plan measurement, eventually driving the price of apartments from studios on up. For every renter who is able to afford to live in a city like New York today because of a micro-space, there is the potential side effect of making the city both unaffordable and unlivable in the future. “In New York, property is just gold,” Saegert says.
Here are a few highlights of how living in a small space might pose a health risk:
That said, let’s take a look at the flip side. A small apartment is cozier, and many praise the benefits of less stuff to worry about. Living in a smaller space allows residents to decide to live in a city that is otherwise too expensive. So the ultimate plus for living in a micro space is the chance to live in a great city.
It might be a matter of age that plays into whether one could healthfully inhabit a small apartment. Younger, single city-dwellers might be more suited to the challenges of the small space than those with families, as noted by TreeHugger.com.
Remember that not all small spaces are created equal. Look beyond square footage to find a compact apartment that fits just right for you.
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