Today, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors will consider whether to
change the city’s building code to allow for tiny, micro-apartments.
Right now, new apartments in
San Francisco
need to be at least 290 square feet. But legislation before the Board
of Supervisors would change that -- to just 150 square feet.
Supporters of the proposal say the new micro-apartments would be
affordable, renting for as little as $1,200 per month. In recent years,
San Francisco has been flooded with young tech workers, who are
increasingly having trouble finding apartments in the city.
Rolf Pendall with the Urban Institute says such micro-apartments
could work for some -- but the bigger question is whether the city can
handle more residents. "I think people may have some concerns about
additional numbers of people," he says, "numbers of cars; amount of foot
traffic; potentially crime in the neighborhoods."
Micro-units have already caught on in
other cities. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is
holding a competition for architects to see who come up with the best
micro-apartment design.
