A Full Life in a Tiny Apartment

Many find advantages in buying studio apartments, and developers have taken notice.

1 minute read

October 12, 2016, 8:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Micro Apartment

making storage work in a 130-square-foot micro apartment in Paris. | homestilo / Flickr

Even as American homes are getting larger and larger, some find advantages in living small. According to a story by Alina Dizik in the Wall Street Journal there is a persistent market for efficiency apartments, "Developers are responding to demand by adding more studios to their buildings.​"

For many who prioritize location over size, smaller is better. "Studio apartments allow them to live in desirable neighborhoods and splurge on small units with interiors that resemble sleek hotel suites," Dizik reports. For some, the design constraints of a small size is made up for by the ability to spend more per square foot when designing a home on a smaller scale. Buying small also means saving on assessments, because these fees are generally apportioned according to the size of the unit.

In increasingly expensive, unequal cities studio apartments can provide a way to get access to a neighborhood that many could not otherwise afford. 

Thursday, October 6, 2016 in The Wall Street Jounal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

15 minutes ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

2 hours ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

4 hours ago - InTransition Magazine