Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Monday, December 2nd, 2019

Capsule living: a ‘cheap’ option for young people flocking to LA

Author:     Javier Tovar
Source:     Agence France-Presse (France)
Publication Date:     November 11, 2019
 Link: Capsule living: a ‘cheap’ option for young people flocking to LA
Stephan:   Unless you have been locked in a closet somewhere you have probably seen pictures or videos of tiny houses, and recognized it as a trend. Here is another aspect, the capsule home; I first saw one in Japan. This trend is telling us something important I think. First, the cost of housing is causing a kind miniaturization tht is further expression of wealth inequality.  Second, that variations of this trend are demonstrations of a cultural change in thinking about housing, one I think being driven by climate change, and the conservation of resources.

Kay Wilson in her capsule home.
Credit: APS

Los Angeles (AFP) – Kay Wilson packed up her life in a hurry and moved to Los Angeles… only to find that what she paid in Pennsylvania for a nice studio apartment would only get her a 2.9-square-meter box in California.

Her new home is a capsule, inspired by the famous hotels in Japan.

Wilson arrived a month ago at UP(st)ART, a community for young people with artistic aspirations in need of an affordable place to live.

Each room contains up to six capsules, which Wilson describes as “cozy.” They contain a single bed, a bar for hanging clothes, a few compartments for storing shoes and other items and an air vent.

By most standards, the accommodation is still not cheap — $750 per month plus taxes. That works out at around $800, which is slightly more than the 26-year-old was paying in Bethlehem, around 70 miles outside Philadelphia.

Among the rules: women and men sleep apart, and having sex is not an option.

Still, the capsule-living concept is also catching […]

Read the Full Article