Micro-apartments are touted as both a way to live with less, and a pilot project to create housing for a squeezed city. These tiny studio apartments—smaller than what is currently allowed by NYC law—are meant to house a population explosion of single New Yorkers. However, many worry that these snug accommodations serve only a narrow group. Who’s left out of the conversation? And how much space do you really need to live?
CUP and teaching artist Chat Travieso worked with a group of public high school students from Bushwick’s Academy of Urban Planning to investigate the fascination with these tiny modular living spaces. The students asked urban planners about regulatory hurdles, architects about prefabricated units, and developers about funding structures. They also talked to community advocates about what groups are privileged in the race for newer smaller housing stock. The crew took what they learned, and with the help of graphic designer Mary Voorhees Meehan, they created The Big Squeeze: a poster that uses collage to teach others about the past, present, and future of apartments in New York City.
On April 4th, 2013 the group presented their project at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, where they discussed their investigative process and led a panel on other approaches to addressing New York’s housing needs. They were joined in discussion by Seema Agnani, Executive Director of Chhaya CDC, an organization that works with homeowners and tenants to streamline the ‘legalization’ process for illegally converted dwellings; and Andrew Reicher, Executive Director of the the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, a 35-year old nonprofit that helps create and support cooperative and affordable housing.
Get your own copy of the poster here!