Micro-housing’s new mission? Attainable housing
July 09, 2026
{
"description": "",
"ideasArticleShareLabel": "Share",
"networks": [
"linkedin",
"twitter",
"email"
]
}
Why developers and state governments are taking a fresh look at compact living in multifamily developments
{
"text": "
A version of this blog first appeared as “Micro housing’s new mission?” in Design Quarterly, Issue 28.
Attainable housing is a challenge in North America’s urban areas like Boston, Toronto, Vancouver, New York City, and Washington, DC. The sky-high rental rates in these cities inspired our compact living design research project in the 2010s.
In our design research, we developed prototypes for micro-units and communal housing for Boston. It helped us articulate a vision for micro-housing in multiunit residential buildings. Our design research yielded a model compact living unit that we took on tour around Boston to collect feedback. It prompted conversations in the design and housing community in Boston. The result?
In 2018, the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) approved a two-year Compact Living Pilot program. The goal was to open up more options for local housing. We helped craft the design guidelines for new residential units that are smaller in size than typical units but don’t lack design innovation and functionality.
Since then, we have designed compact dwellings or “micro-units” for a variety of residential buildings. Watermark Seaport, Proto, TROY Boston, and One Mystic, to name a few.
" }Share
{
"description": "",
"ideasArticleShareLabel": "Share",
"networks": [
"linkedin",
"twitter",
"email"
]
}
{
"altText": "A group gathering area with games table, tv, and soft seating",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0091\/proto\u002D157508.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0091\/proto\u002D157508.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20191202.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0091\/proto\u002D157508.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20191202.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
A community gathering space at Proto in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
{
"text": "
What are micro-units?
They are affordable compact dwellings that offer convenience and access to the community in an efficient design. They typically range in size from 250 square feet up to 400 square feet.
A well-designed micro-unit should have all the usual elements of a regular-sized unit. And this includes space for every function.
Our design research shows that a well-designed micro-unit uses space for efficiency. It prioritizes storage, leverages smaller appliances, but it doesn’t skimp on natural light and ceiling height.
The multiunit dwellings that feature micro-units should offer attractive social and shared spaces. When well-designed, they can deliver amenities and areas that boost social connection.
A good micro-unit uses less energy for heating and cooling, promotes access to public transit for more people, sometimes costs less to build, uses less waste, and is cheaper to maintain. Sometimes, micro-housing can be more economical to build, but its cost per square foot goes up because of the higher density of kitchen and bath features. Micro-units are a good option for city dwellers in dense urban environments with high rents.
Housing needs keep changing. And yet attainable housing remains a stubborn issue in cities.
Why housing supply and rent pressure keep micro housing in focus
Demand still exceeds supply in many cities. When we look at historic data for extremely expensive places, new housing builds simply haven’t kept up with population growth. There are many cities with median rents for one-bedroom apartments at more than $2,500. In some cases, it’s well over that amount.
Rents in Toronto and Vancouver have stabilized as more compact units have become available. While data shows that building higher-end housing offers some relief to the market in general, it doesn’t offer relief in the form of new attainable units. To make housing more affordable, we need to build more housing at an attainable price point.
We can build attainable housing that serves a specific slice of underserved demographics. These might include single-person households, graduate students, empty nesters, retirees, and those looking to downsize.
" }
{
"altText": "Exterior buildings with pathways and plantings",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0010\/wmu\u002Darcadia\u002Dflats\u002Dstudent\u002Dhousing\u002D184069.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0010\/wmu\u002Darcadia\u002Dflats\u002Dstudent\u002Dhousing\u002D184069.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20240412.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0010\/wmu\u002Darcadia\u002Dflats\u002Dstudent\u002Dhousing\u002D184069.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20240412.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
Arcadia Flats is a student housing facility at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
{
"text": "
How the housing crisis is expanding beyond major cities
What’s changing about the housing crisis? Since the pandemic, the areas where people want to live have changed. With remote work options post-pandemic, many have looked toward suburban living. Housing design has embraced wellness and spaces that allow working from home. And the tight labor market has made many employers aware of how important it is to focus on housing options in their recruitment efforts.
On the supply side, while home building surged in 2023 with 1.4 million new homes added, it wasn’t enough. More recently, escalating construction, financing, and materials costs have slowed supply in all major markets. Zillow estimates that the US housing shortage is roughly 4.7 million units.
There are two arguments for taking another look at micro-housing to boost attainable housing:
- In dense urban environments, land can be costly and scarce, but the location is highly attractive to renters. Micro-housing allows for “highest and best” uses for development with good return on investment.
- Housing is an ecosystem. Building more micro-housing with a few specific demographics in mind can loosen up the market. It allows more traditional housing options to go back into the supply pool and put some downward pressure on rents. Research has shown that even new market-rate housing can bring down rents nearby.
Where can micro-housing development, micro-units, and compact living make a difference?
Here is a look at four areas where micro-housing apartments make sense.
1. Micro units for researchers, interns, and innovation hub workers
Research and innovation hubs welcome a transient demographic.
Entrepreneurs. Researchers. Interns. They often come and go within a few years, even a few months.
Knowledge hubs and university areas in urban settings also tend to be highly walkable with access to public transit. The research workers have less need for private space and more interest in access to the start-up office and the city beyond. The micro-unit provides an easy landing pad solution for knowledge workers coming in on contract. And it supports the local innovation economy.
" }The new wave of interest we are experiencing for our micro-housing design research shows that it has applications far beyond just the original use.
{
"text": "
In the Boston area, Proto offers mostly studio and one-bedroom apartments for graduate students and millennial STEM workers in the Kendall Square neighborhood, a science and innovation hub. It puts a focus on co-living and working spaces.
Key design feature? A fully furnished micro-unit offers even more convenience to the innovation hub worker on the move.
2. How compact living can support aging in place
Increasingly, seniors are choosing to age in place with dignity. This is not incompatible with smaller spaces or attainable housing. Senior living centers offering smaller units can shift the balance of their space to better communal spaces for activity and amenities. These community areas can enrich the day-to-day lives of seniors.
We recently presented micro-unit approach to Ed Augustus. He is the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities and was looking to solve housing supply and affordability issues for seniors and young professionals.
Key design feature? Accessibility. We can design senior housing to be slightly larger versions of typical smart/efficient micro-unit layouts. And they can include adaptive features to support aging in place.
3. Why micro units work for graduate student housing
Graduate students are transient. They move around to complete their education. And universities want to make them welcome. It’s a perfect job for the micro-unit.
Residences near university campuses could feature micro-units and compact dwellings for adult graduate students. A good example of this mix is Arcadia Flats at Western Michigan University. We can design these attainable housing units to be efficient and cost-conscious.
While the apartments are smaller, we can devote more amenity spaces to study and collaboration. That helps foster social and idea exchange that enhances the educational experience. Micro-units are a good fit for a learning/living environment where collaboration is desirable.
Undergraduate institutions want to keep housing affordable. It helps keep students on campus for community and shared experiences. On the Eastern Connecticut State University—Shafer Hall Renovation, we designed micro-units that provided new housing and gave an older building a new purpose.
Key design feature? Compact apartments for graduate students can provide amenities like a private bathroom and kitchen. As older students, they often desire an elevated lifestyle.
" }
{
"altText": "Interior student dorm room with kitchette and an elevated platform in front of the window for the bed area.",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0137\/ecsu\u002Dshafer\u002Dhall\u002Drenovation\u002D186356.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0137\/ecsu\u002Dshafer\u002Dhall\u002Drenovation\u002D186356.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20260708.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/projects\/0137\/ecsu\u002Dshafer\u002Dhall\u002Drenovation\u002D186356.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20260708.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
Shafer Hall Renovation at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, Connecticut. Micro-housing units are often an excellent fit for graduate students.
{
"text": "
4. Seasonal applications for work in the hospitality industry
After the pandemic, many of us decided to get outside more. Many resort areas have been booming ever since—with more opening all the time. The ski industry, for example, is projected to double by 2035. But seasonal communities such as ski resorts and island getaways often face severe shortages of housing for service and tourism industry workers. The high property values and rugged terrain in these areas often make the cost of housing unaffordable for the workers.
Vail Resorts and others have pledged to invest millions in workforce housing. Recently, Winter Park Resort’s Conifer Commons showed what is possible with modular construction for seasonal workers. Residential buildings offering micro-units could be part of the solution to attainable housing. Affordable buildings with smaller unit sizes would enable more staff to live closer to the resorts. And common areas could include amenities to attract new recruits.
Key design feature? Mountain towns in protected areas tend to have extreme site constraints. So, the smaller footprint of micro-unit residences may expand the range of possible sites.
New uses for micro housing in an attainable housing strategy
Compact living design is not a panacea for the attainable housing issue. But the new wave of interest we are experiencing for our micro-housing design research shows that it has applications far beyond just the original use.
We believe the right-sized micro-unit has a great deal to offer to communities, developers, employers, and housing agencies. We are excited to refine and adapt this design approach to meet tomorrow’s housing needs.
" }