New York, a city of exorbitant rents with more and more single residents, is about to get a brand new type of apartment: micro-units, for decades prohibited under zoning regulations.
A first building of 55 prefabricated studios spanning nine stories is due to welcome its first tenants in Manhattan in the fall.
Between 260 and 370 square feet (24 and 34 square meters), they come equipped with kitchenettes, shower rooms, storage, large windows, nine foot six (2.9 meter) ceilings and a Juliet balcony.
In New York, 31 percent of the population lives alone, both young and older people, according to the statistics office.
The regulation does not correspond to the needs of people today, says Sarah Watson, deputy director of the Citizens Housing Planning Council, a non-profit research organization devoted to housing problems in New York.
Read more in ABS-CBN.