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Alana Semuels writes in The Atlantic that Millennials want the chance to be alone in their own bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens, but they also want to be social and never lonely.That's why real estate developer Troy Evans is starting construction on a new space in Syracuse called Commonspace that he envisions as a dorm for Millennials that will feature 21 microunits, each packed with a tiny kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living space into 300-square-feet. The microunits surround shared common areas including a chef's kitchen, a game room, and a TV room. "We're trying to combine an affordable apartment with this community style of living, rather than living by yourself in a one-bedroom in the suburbs," says Evans. The apartments will be fully furnished to appeal to potential residents who don't own much (the units will have very limited storage space). The bedrooms are built into the big windows of the office building—one window per unit—and the rest of the apartment can be traversed in three big leaps. The units will cost between $700 and $900 a month. "If your normal rent is $1,500, we're coming in way under that," says John Talarico. "You can spend that money elsewhere, living, not just sustaining."
Co-living has also gained traction in a Brooklyn apartment building that creates a networking and social community for its residents and where prospective residents answer probing questions like "What are your passions?" and "Tell us your story (Excite us!)." If accepted, tenants live in what the company's promotional materials describe as a "highly curated community of like-minded individuals." Millennials are staying single longer than previous generations have, creating a glut of people still living on their own in apartments, rather than marrying and buying homes. But the generation is also notoriously social, having been raised on the Internet and the constant communication it provides. This is a generation that has grown accustomed to college campuses with climbing walls, infinity pools, and of course, their own bathrooms. Commonspace gives these Milliennials the benefits of living with roommates—they can save money and stay up late watching Gilmore Girls—with the privacy and style an entitled generation might expect. "It's the best of both worlds," says Michelle Kingman. "You have roommates, but they're not roommates."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by kurenai.tsubasa on Wednesday November 11 2015, @12:21AM
I think pretty much all I have to say here is that grown-ups don't live in dorms.
If you're living in a dorm, you're not a grown-up. You may be able to legally buy booze, but you're not a grown-up.
Once you grow up, you realize there really is no way to share living space with another grown-up unless there's something deeper going on than just “roommates:” romance or being a blood relative are the most common, so a “we're family” situation of some kind.
Otherwise the lowest common denominator usually takes over. All it takes is one roommate who refuses to do his/her dishes or adhere to some kind of dishwashing rotation, and you're never going to have a clear sink without putting way more effort into it than you would with your own living space. That seemed to be the most common failure mode before I decided to buy a house (and even while experimenting with using the spare room for lodgers). The stove top becomes a mess and the counter tops completely unsanitary in under a month.
Where's the good knife and chopping board? Where's the sauce pan and strainer? Why are they dirty when I need them yet again?! Why am I the only one who rinses dishes before putting them on the dirty side of the sink?! How on earth does $roommate consider this clean?! It's got dried soap all over it and wtf is this gunk!!! Argh!!!
One guy I lived with for a year or so (just an acquaintance, no romantic interest) had a partial solution. He kept his own set of cookware, silverware, bowls, plates, etc in his room. Never had to worry about his dishes piling up, and he never had to worry about “why are all the plates dirty again?!”
At least in my experience “quiet hours” is the easiest thing to manage. Everything else just becomes an endless pain in the ass.
(Score: 2) by Absolutely.Geek on Wednesday November 11 2015, @09:09AM
Having my own dishes was the way I dealt with my filthy flatmates during university. Cokk for myself; do my own dishes and put them back in my room. The kitchen was always a mess but I just worked around that.
Don't trust the police or the government - Shihad: My mind's sedate.
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Wednesday November 11 2015, @02:49PM
God bless you, you nailed it.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 11 2015, @07:20PM
I think pretty much all I have to say here is that grown-ups don't live in dorms.
Grown-Ups didn't use to live in dorms. Now it's all the housing they can afford...