The Micro-Unit Test

• August 14th 2013

by Shilpi Paul

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DC may want to take a cue from New York when it comes to testing out how people like living in small living spaces.

Starting in a couple days, five New Yorkers will be spending 24 hours in an open micro-unit exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, reported DNAinfo New York.

The exhibit “Making Room: New Housing for New Yorkers”, which we wrote about in January, is in its last month at the museum. The exhibit coincided with Mayor Bloomberg’s micro-unit competition, and displayed a 325-square-foot apartment completely equipped with space-maximizing furniture, a TV, and kitchen wares.

On August 16th, five people will each be spending a full 24-hour cycle at the space, becoming part of the exhibit while interacting with visitors, and tweeting and instagramming their experience.

Four of the guests will stay in pairs: two as single roommates in separate beds, and one couple. The live exhibit will last for three days, though visitors will only be able to see the guests between 10 am and 6pm. Several of the participants are employees or interns at the museum, and all have experience living in small homes.

While a mere 24 hours should not be considered the main litmus test for whether this type of living is feasible, it is one way to test out whether or not micro-unit living makes sense on a large scale. With all the micro-units in the pipeline for DC, should our city host a similar exhibit?

Similar Posts:

• The Design of DC’s Tiny Homes on The Wharf
• DC Micro-Unit Project Proposes Going Carless
• 320-Square Foot Apartments Coming to 9th Street

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/five_guests_to_live_in_museum_microunits/7455.