FRONT “New homes in the UK are already smaller than in any other country in Europe and it is perverse to expect them to shrink further” JA M E S L AW C Y B E R T E C T U R E : I M AG E S glamorous holiday cottages or as homes for those devoted to minimalism, when actually they don’t meet regulatory standards expected of housing that were imposed for a reason. Earlier this year, Patrik Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects raised controversy when he said that hotelroom-sized studios without living rooms are ideal for young people with busy lives to inhabit. This was akin to telling young people to simply accept the housing crisis rather than nudging the government to come up with an affordable housing solution. Bedsits that are smaller than regulations stipulate aren’t good enough. September 2018 New homes in the UK are already smaller than in any other country in Europe and it is perverse to expect them to shrink further. So-called tiny homes are often little different from trailers; and living in trailers is closely linked with low income. In the US, where 5.6 per cent of the population live in trailers or mobile homes, the median income for those living in such homes is 43 per cent lower than for households in traditional real estate. There is credible research behind the theory that living with a lack of space can be detrimental to one’s wellbeing: it can degrade family relationships, affect people’s quality of life and in extreme cases cause anxiety or stress and impact on the social and emotional development of children. There are limited situations in which below regulationsized homes could be used to alleviate homelessness on a temporary basis. In certain parts of the US, such as Austin, Texas, smaller units have been made available to renters who are on very limited budgets and another initiative in LA kicked off by resident Elvis Sumners could result in hundreds of so-called tiny homes for the homeless. Since the units have no plumbing or running water, they should only be considered a temporary 27 measure or they would risk turning into legitimised shantytowns, which couldn’t be further from the coffeetable-book dream where tiny homes are more conventionally found. We would more easily see through the illusion of the tiny home being a miniature paradise if we did away with the fantasy of minimalism and simply called them something else. Terms like luxury cabins, below-regulation-sized homes or social housing, for instance, would account for the shades of grey that the tiny home comes in, rather than assuming that all small spaces we inhabit are cut from the same brick.