mi5mi6
10-07-12, 19:01
Who says shopbox apartment is inhumane? Look at what New York is building. i think to be more respectful to the owners of shoebox apartment we should now call it as "micro-apartments".
NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday launched a tender for the construction of "micro-apartments" in the Big Apple, where rents are exorbitant and the number of singles is on the rise.
A pilot project slated for construction in Manhattan's Kips Bay section will feature rental apartments ranging from 275 to 300 square feet (26-28 square meters) with kitchens and bathrooms, the mayor's office said in a statement.
Bloomberg explained it was "critical to the city's continued growth, future competitiveness and long-term economic success" to develop "housing that matches how New Yorkers live."
"People from all over the world want to live in New York City, and we must develop a new, scalable housing model that is safe, affordable and innovative to meet their needs."
The project is slated to respond to the changing demographics of a city where 1.8 million households are composed of one or two people, but there are only one million studios and one-room apartments, the mayor's office said.
Current standards in New York require that most new apartments be at least 400 square feet.
But rental costs in the Big Apple are increasingly expensive.
In Manhattan, a studio cost an average US$2,243 per month in May in a building without concierge, up 7.9 per cent from the previous year, and US$2,657 in a building with concierge, up 4.4 per cent, according to the Manhattan Rental Market Report.
A one-room apartment cost about US$2,959 without concierge, up 6.2 per cent from 2011, and US$3,777 with concierge, up 6.8 per cent in a year.
- AFP/ck
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1212646/1/.html#.T_uax1NH2zU.facebook
NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday launched a tender for the construction of "micro-apartments" in the Big Apple, where rents are exorbitant and the number of singles is on the rise.
A pilot project slated for construction in Manhattan's Kips Bay section will feature rental apartments ranging from 275 to 300 square feet (26-28 square meters) with kitchens and bathrooms, the mayor's office said in a statement.
Bloomberg explained it was "critical to the city's continued growth, future competitiveness and long-term economic success" to develop "housing that matches how New Yorkers live."
"People from all over the world want to live in New York City, and we must develop a new, scalable housing model that is safe, affordable and innovative to meet their needs."
The project is slated to respond to the changing demographics of a city where 1.8 million households are composed of one or two people, but there are only one million studios and one-room apartments, the mayor's office said.
Current standards in New York require that most new apartments be at least 400 square feet.
But rental costs in the Big Apple are increasingly expensive.
In Manhattan, a studio cost an average US$2,243 per month in May in a building without concierge, up 7.9 per cent from the previous year, and US$2,657 in a building with concierge, up 4.4 per cent, according to the Manhattan Rental Market Report.
A one-room apartment cost about US$2,959 without concierge, up 6.2 per cent from 2011, and US$3,777 with concierge, up 6.8 per cent in a year.
- AFP/ck
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1212646/1/.html#.T_uax1NH2zU.facebook