As New Yorkers increase, rentals get smaller

One effect of the growing popularity of urban living, at least in New York, is a shrinkage in the size of studio apartments. A source quoted by The New York Times says efficiency apartments in new rental buildings now tend to be close to 400 square feet—the minimum apartment size permitted by the city's zoning. Ten years ago, they would have been closer to 500 square feet. An example of compact living, shown above, is the 466-square-foot studio of Mikael Schulz and his partner Claudio De Menezes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Their rent is about $2,200 a month. To help offset the squeeze, some new apartment buildings, like theirs, come with a shared lounge and a rooftop terrace for entertaining and socializing. Given those amenities, Schulz says, "you basically just need a nice, calm space to sleep and a kitchen."

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