Wanted: Someone to Build Tiny Living Spaces for Singles in NYC

Remember when everyone was obsessed with people who live alone? In New York, Mayor Bloomberg is thinking about all the single ladies and men. Yesterday, Bloomberg launched a contest to design an efficient, small space for single people to live in that would measure around 300 square feet (like the theoretical 30×10 ft. space above) — current city laws require that new apartments in the city be built over 400 square feet, but there will be an exception for these units. The developer would build about 80 “micro units” on what is currently a city-owned parking lot on E. 27th St. in the Manhattan area known as Kips Bay. Twenty percent of the units would be dedicated to low-income residents, and the rest would rent below market for under $2,000 a month.

There are already plenty of small places to live in the city, but a lot of them are not designed very efficiently, unlike the Japanese, who are also used to living in small, but very efficiently designed spaces. I hope developers look abroad for some ideas.

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