Top Cities Developing Micro Apartments

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In a previous blog, the considerations and reasons behind the popularity of micro apartments were discussed. Now let’s take a look at some of the cities across North America that are developing these unique and  cutting-edgeproperties. Keep in mind the following properties are either still being considered, in the process of being built, or have already been built:

  • Columbus, OH. A company named Connect Realty is constructing a building consisting of nearly 58 micro apartment units starting at 450 sq ft.
  • Chicago, IL. A company named, FLATS Chicago has been rebuilding  single resident occupancy buildings and transforming them into inexpensive micro apartments.
  • Orlando, FL. A German architect is planning to build a micro apartment building with units that will allow a number of transforming elements and will range from 260 to 447 sq ft.
  • Portland, OR. Portland is already well-known for its abundance of tiny houses. In recent months, many companies such as Footprint Investments have developed a number of micro styled living options including but not limited to the popular Freedom Center.
  • Denver, CO. Plans for an old hotel located in close proximity to Mile High Stadium include the Nichols Partnership and Developers Realty Capital Group transforming the property into residential building called Turntable Studios. This rental property will consist  of 170 micro apartments, some as modest as 330 sq ft.
  • Spokane, WA. The Ridpath Club Apartments in Spokane is also micro apartment building formerly known as a hotel.
  • Nashville, TN. A 500 sq ft, 146 micro apartment building unit is being constructed by Giarratana Nashville LLC.
  • Edmonton, AB. Beljan Development is requesting to build a 40 unit residential building with micro apartments no bigger than 350 sq ft.
  • Providence, RI. Providence is an inexpensive location with an abundance of properties to accommodate those who wish to partake in micro apartment style living. One of the most popular micro apartment buildings, The Arcade is unique in the sense that it provides micro loft apartments on the second and third level but still operates as a mall on the lower level.
  • Des Moines, IA. The popularity of Des Moines inexpensive micro apartment building, The Flemming, is clear to see. The building is currently no longer accepting applications for units due to being full to capacity.

North Carolina’s Airport Development Study

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North Carolina’s Airport Development Study

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Charlotte Douglas International Airport received its present name in 1982 and is the second biggest center point for American Airlines after Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with administration to 175 residential and universal destinations. This airport is continuing to develop and needs to make another all-inclusive strategy to guide future advancement on the area encompassing the air terminal.

Charlotte Douglas is encompassed by extensive tracts of undeveloped area, particularly toward the west and north, and the city would like to support more improvement in those tracts. In an effort to assist with development, Charlotte City Council voted in favor of spending $900,000 worth of air terminal assets for an expert to concentrate on the range and suggest best uses for the area.

The airports lead development director, Stuart Hair, will lead the study along with MXD Development. The MXD Firm has previously made ground-breaking strategies for other air terminals and its experts will concentrate on recognizing perfect utilizations for the 20 square miles of area surrounding the freely subsidized Charlotte Douglas.The area between the airport and Catawba River has been surveyed by engineers and although it is for the most part lush and undeveloped, it offers a percentage of the biggest tracts of empty area in Mecklenburg County.

The hefty price tag came as a shock to many. Questions of whether or not nearly a million dollars was absolutely necessary to investigate how to develop the airport have been raised. Those in opposition of the study believe engineers only need proper market conditions instead of creating a master approach. However, those in favor of the development plan argue that because of the extent of the study range, broad effort and gatherings that are arranged by the specialists make the study a worthy investment.

 

The Micro Apartment Phenomena

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The Micro Apartment Phenomena

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A micro-apartment, otherwise called a microflat, is a one-room, independent living space and is intended to suit a sitting space, washroom, resting space, and kitchenette with a size of 4-10 square meters. Now and again, inhabitants might likewise have admittance to a public restroom/shower, shared kitchen, porches and rooftop gardens.

The micro-apartments are frequently intended for draw down beds or futons, collapsing tables and work areas, and additional small apparatuses. An expansive 344-square-foot micro-apartment with sliding dividers joined to the tracks by the roof has been outlined by an engineer in Hong Kong, Gary Chang. By moving the dividers around, utilizing assembled as a part of collapsing furniture and workshops, he can change the space into 24 distinct rooms, including a pantry, kitchen, library, bar, computer game room, and lounge area. 

These apartments are popping up everywhere. Micro-housing is sensible in areas with high property values, supportive infrastructure for development, accessible public transportation, stable economies, walkable neighborhoods, and cities that are have fair to high density. The ever growing community of micro-housing is a new phenomenon in development. Below are few of the reasons why:  

 

The American Dream Deferred

Owning a home with a white picket fence is slowly falling off the list of goals for many people. There is no longer a desire to have a big space in the suburbs. Instead, many are holding off on getting married and having kids to remain in a smaller residence with easy access to city life.

Less Driving, More Walking

Living near city life means driving is not a necessity. Unlike many suburban areas, city life does not require a vehicle, which ultimately eliminate the task of looking for a parking spot after a long day of work.

Same City, Cheaper Apartment
Micro-apartments offer residence in cities that would almost be unaffordable for most. Many one-bedroom city apartments can be very expensive and for budget conscious renters, this makes living in the location of their dreams nearly impossible. Nearly. Micro-apartments cost hundreds of dollars less than average sized apartments to rent monthly.

Urban Design: The Importance of Vibrancy in Downtown Centers

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Downtown centers of your favorite cities are not arbitrary placements on the map.   Aside from the obvious tangible aspects of your favorite downtown locations which offer: places to live, shopping, dining and other forms of entertainment, downtowns are created for one very important reason- vibrancy.

Before we explore vibrancy, these questions may come to mind- what is involved in the makings of a downtown center? What makes a downtown area more livable? These are the questions urban planners and designers attempt to answer. Some of the best downtown locations in the United States are vibrant not only because of their strategic planning, but also the mingling and engagement this planning introduces into a city.

What is vibrancy and why does it matter?

A Vibrant downtown center is one that offers social interaction and engagement to its residents. Most city planners describe a vibrant center as an environment which is walkable, liveable and offers the residents an opportunity to play.

View of downtown Denver, Colorado

To put this in further perspective, a well designed downtown center offers what Emily Talen in her 2012 book City Rules: How regulations Affect Urban Form describes as: “Good urbanism that covers generic features of vibrant places quite well”.  Talen further explains a well designed downtown center as a, “compact urban form that encourages pedestrian activity and minimizes environmental degradation; encourages social, economic, and land use diversity; . . . connects uses and functions; has a quality public realm that provides opportunities for interaction and exchange; offers equitable access to goods, services, and facilities; and protects environmental and human health.

One important feature of a vibrant downtown center is walkability.  Another important feature of a vibrant center is the installation and development of parks, waterfronts and places for play. These places have an impact on the vibrancy of a downtown area because they increase the opportunities for interaction between residents. Planners and designers also see an increase in vibrancy when an area features historical or cultural landmarks.

If vibrancy is so important to the growth and sustainability of our downtown regions, how can the state and planning bodies promote vibrancy to add to make the lives of residents sustainable?

Here are some examples of the ways we can promote vibrancy:

Encouraging the development of higher-density housing in urban and suburban neighborhoods.

Most people adhere to the increase in higher-density option due to the consequential increase in property value, higher rent, and an increase in tax base.

Gentrification of lower income neighborhoods is also common fear when considering this option. To create a positive living environment for residents, it is also important to provide sustainable housing for low income residents who work in customer service or labor jobs, because their proximity to the city job market is important in driving revenue and developing the workforce. This can be enforced through inclusionary zoning laws and density bonuses .

Staying away from suburban development prototypes.

Suburban prototypes imposed on urban centers have been linked to a decrease in urban density, which as mentioned above is a possible key to vibrancy. Placing more importance on walkability, planners need to veer away from designing adjacent surface parking, drive-through lanes, lack of sidewalks in downtown areas,  if they aim to build a city which is walkable and subsequently vibrant.

To learn more about Vibrancy in downtown areas, visit the this article on Urban land Magzine