In pricey cities, “affordable” has come to mean “small.” Living small has a long history in New York, from SROs to dividing apartments with makeshift walls, and contemporary micro-units are a logical response to lack of available building sites and demand for more variety of housing types. The form has come to be perceived as a panacea for addressing affordability and availability of housing, particularly for two parts of the demand spectrum: relatively affluent young professionals and formerly homeless individuals. But who benefits?

This event will bring into focus questions about the value and purposes of small dwellings, including what effects they have on their tenants, how they fit into the life cycles of residents and neighborhoods, and whether they normalize high costs and housing insecurity. From the perspectives of history, policy, environmental psychology, and architecture, we’ll explore how the ways we live are shifting, either out of choice or necessity.

Free and open to all, reservations are required.