
Starcity and high-tech housing companies offer a new take on an old model - jeffreyrogers
https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/8/17097154/affordable-housing-coliving-starcity-common-sro
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Thriptic
It doesn't sound a whole lot different than my current living situation or
former living situations. I currently rent a bedroom in a 3 bedroom apartment
with 3 other people, share a shower with one roommate, and keep 99% of my
possessions in my room because my roommates like to party and I don't want
stuff stolen or broken. It's not a great situation for dating or being social
and I have to be extremely efficient with space, but the room works well as an
affordable place to crash after work.

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ordinaryradical
The risks really seem to come in if you use this model to serve the poor. But
as a solution for graduates jumping into their middle-income city gig I think
it’s brilliant and a healthy shift away from our culture’s obsessive
individualism.

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closeparen
The renegotiation of the social contract to remove any element of personal
space (cubicles to bullpens, cars to crush-loaded buses, and now studios to
barracks) is many things, but it isn’t progress. As someone with deep-seated
needs for alone time and private space, “our culture’s obsessive
individualism” is _awesome_ and it’s deeply disturbing to see it evaporate.

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amarkov
I'm not sure there ever was such a social contract, since the personal space
you're describing is a very modern innovation. As late as the 60s, all offices
were open plan offices, and single-room occupancy was simply what you got on
the cheaper end of the urban housing market.

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thaumasiotes
Sure, you expect to see worse housing "on the cheaper end of the housing
market". Compare your grandparent comment:

>>> The risks really seem to come in if you use this model to serve the poor.
But as a solution for graduates jumping into their middle-income city gig I
think it’s brilliant

Good enough for the middle class, but not good enough for the poor?

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amarkov
Good enough to have available as an option, for people who want to scrimp and
save for a bit while they ramp up their careers. Not good enough to push
people into one long term.

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thaumasiotes
If it's available as an option and it's cheaper, how are you going to stop the
poor from living there?

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olleromam91
So pay for a place to live and all your regular social responsibilities like
cleanliness and paying for services on time are just taken care of...? That
doesn't seem like a great way to transition into adulthood at all.

