Are Smaller Units a Compromise or a Step Ahead?

Panelists said smaller units tend to attract creative people, often with families.

SAN DIEGO—From micro-apartments to co-living models and live/work spaces, smaller units are actually preferable to traditional-sized apartments and offices in many ways, said panelists at a recent ULI breakfast event. At the ULI San Diego-Tijuana District Council event, hosted by the ULI Young Leaders Group and moderated by Rammy Cortez, development partner with Hub & Spoke Communities speakers said in urban areas throughout the US, developers are disrupting traditional norms by embracing these more-diminutive spaces, and so are the individuals who are living in them.

While some may see co-living and micro units as dorm living for adults, panelist Ellen Parry said that her company’s units feel elegant and aspirational, with a hotel environment, and feature transformational furniture for privacy and effective use of space. Parry’s company, Ollie, manages co-living spaces in major urban areas on both coasts.