Having your own house or apartment is a very good thing but not everyone can afford it. Finding an affordable accommodation can be a problem for many people all over the world. Some are forced to move often because they can't afford to pay the rent, others can't find anything suitable as the demand is greater than the offer. This makes prices go sky high and people are forced to pay much more than the property really worth.
Unfortunately space is limited in many cities and finding new solutions is not always easy or possible. In some cases old buildings or factories are transformed to give home to a lot of people or green space is sacrificed, if there's any left.
A new idea was presented these days in the media. Underground pods to rent for people in need.
The Concept
Chris Elsey,a developer from San Francisco came up with an idea to maximize space and offer cheaper housing. He's planning to build two apartment buildings, each with 219 housing units. 154 apartment buildings would be 200-square-foot “micro-units” with bathrooms and kitchens. In the basement there would be 65 so called sleeping pods.
Based on renderings shared with SF Gate, the 50-square-foot underground pods would provide just enough room for a bed and a desk. They’d also open directly into a communal living space to avoid violating San Francisco’s building code. source
Prices
The 200-square-foot “micro-units” with bathrooms and kitchens will cost between $2,000 and $2,375 per month while for a pod you would pay between $1,000 and $1,375.
I need to mention I'm not from the US and therefore not familiar with the housing prices but a woman who was asked about the prices said that's not cheap.
Psychological Effect
I'm setting aside the price at this point and concentrate on the psychological effect as that is very important no matter where you live and as I see, the developer's priority lays elsewhere.
In order to determine if it's good for you or not we need to see where you are coming from. If you have no place to go and this is the last hope for you, you may accept it as it's better than being homeless and sleeping outside. If you're looking for an apartment to rent and have other options as well, I don't think this is something you would consider as it's not exactly a dream accommodation.
The human body is the product of thousands of years of evolution, and it is built to be exposed to natural light regularly. Daily, in fact. As the sun comes up, we’re supposed to get up with it, and our circadian rhythms (which govern the quality of our sleep) are programmed to respond and adapt to sunlight. source
Our body is designed to have natural light to be able to function normally. Lack of natural light can lead to a number of illnesses, among which the most common is depression. Nordic countries are dealing with high rate of depression due to living half a year in the dark. Now imagine living in a pod like this where there's no natural light and if you want some, you have to go outside.
Looks like the project has been sent back to developer with the note that habitats must have natural light. The solution the developer came up with was to add a courtyard so natural light will reach the pods.
Living In A Small Place
Living in a small place can be normal for many people, especially in Japan where space is very limited.
I bet you all remember these capsule units from Japan. Look tiny and are tiny indeed.
This is the inside of the capsule. All inside is tiny, everything is multipurpose but at least it has a window that comes with natural light. Japanese people are used to tiny and tight spaces, they were born into that life and raised knowing space are scarce. It is natural for them even though it may be depressing for those who are used to big houses.
A Good Solution For Whom
In the interview the developer was very happy with his plan saying people are getting less but they are paying less. This is not exactly what people are looking for as it seems less is just regarding the space as the price is high.
Natural light is not really present as it comes from a courtyard and not directly to the pod. At this point it looks like it's a good solution for the developer and less good for people.
Projects like this have profit as main focus and not people's interest. It's nice to do something that hasn't been done yet and solve a huge problem like lack of living spaces but I believe this is not one of those. If I'm forced to live in a very tiny space, let me at least have some light to brighten my day. These people have enough problems already, they don't need depression added to the list.
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