Dorms for adults

Booming

Seattle is running out of room. Could tiny, Tokyo-style apartments be part of the solution?

How much space do we really need? Residents of a new Seattle-area micro-apartment building say not much. Units go for less than studios in the same neighborhood, allowing barbers, seniors, and other folks on low incomes to live in an expensive tech hub. State lawmakers think micro-apartments could be one solution to the region’s affordable housing crisis. The catch? Rooms are about the size of a single dorm, and residents share kitchens and common spaces. In this episode of Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg will take you inside a couple Seattle-area micro-apartments and discuss what we could gain -- or lose -- by bringing this kind of housing back.

Plus, find out why an aviation disaster expert says Boeing is in “Jaws" territory and see if you can guess the cities with the biggest – and smallest – average home sizes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

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