Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above • Hacker News Board

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#11

Post by OGinparadise » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 7:34 AM UTC

berlinbrown wrote: post #2

I live in apartment. Not a micro-one. But I imagine you can find solace in just having only the things you need. Why do you need a ranch size home and 20 acres?

"Why do you need a ranch size home and 20 acres?"

Why do you need to eat three square meals a day?

Why do you need a $1000+ PC?

Why do you need $50+ jeans?

Why do you need....

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#12

Post by sigil » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 7:36 AM UTC

See also "100x100," a collection of 10 ft by 10 ft Hong Kong apartments photographed by Michael Wolf. The use of space in some of these is just amazing.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.404783143152.173014...

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#13

Post by loser777 » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 7:39 AM UTC

Really surprising to see such photos after watching some ancient footage (early 1990s) of the Kowloon Walled City recently. I'd thought that there were no more tiny living spaces.

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#14

Post by matthewrudy » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 7:43 AM UTC

berlinbrown wrote: post #2

I live in apartment. Not a micro-one. But I imagine you can find solace in just having only the things you need. Why do you need a ranch size home and 20 acres?

I've lived in Hong Kong for 3 years, normally in a room about 150sqft. And the biggest consequences of living this way are;

– no kitchen, I have to eat out every day, which makes me fat

- no sofa or decent desk – I have to lie on my bed all the time, bad for my back

– no space for guests – can only hang out in restaurants and bars, which makes relationships a bit more distant

All this has an effect on society and culture over here, and it's pretty bad.

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#15

Post by wallflower » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 7:44 AM UTC

See also the now demolished Kowloon Walled City

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#16

Post by nineteenturtles » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 7:49 AM UTC

redact207 wrote: post #10

It gets worse. The photos are not the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Hong Kong real estate. Those who are in the worst poverty are the ones who live in cages. It's literally a bunk bed with sides enclosed with cage wiring. They have no walls, minimal possessions and live day to day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU4jjdRzy3w Hong Kong is an intriguing city that I highly recommend to go spend some time in.

Makes problems like my code not compiling seem rather small.

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#17

Post by robryan » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 7:54 AM UTC

What kind of mobility do these people have? Could they choose to move to somewhere in rural China and get something of decent size?

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#18

Post by cmarschner » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 8:02 AM UTC

vecinu wrote: post #4

berlinbrown wrote: post #2

I live in apartment. Not a micro-one. But I imagine you can find solace in just having only the things you need. Why do you need a ranch size home and 20 acres?

This comes down to having freedom and experiencing life on 'a ranch and 20 acres'. If you've never experienced life in such a way, it is almost impossible to understand why people live this way. I for one love having my own washroom and bedroom where I can rest, relax and find silence. Do you think a family of 4 would find comfort in an apartment? I'm fairly sure if money were no object and transportation was near in…

I've grown up in a spacious house and am living now on about 800 sq ft with my wife and a baby. That's more than those people in Hong Kong but, given where I am coming from, it is constraint. My wife is coming from a former communist country. There, 60 sq m were regarded enough for a family, and she feels perfectly comfortable in our space. She wouldn't want more. And in fact it does have some merits: I can clean the apartment in an hour. I am forced to throw things out that I don't really need, which makes my life simpler. And since it allows us to live right in the city I don't really need a car. We can do all grocery shopping by foot, and we have all amenities nearby. That's something you'd miss out on a ranch.

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#19

Post by JeremyMorgan » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 8:02 AM UTC

Call me crazy, but I've always thought if I were a single guy with no family, I could live in something like this. I follow a couple of pages on Facebook about minimal living and think that it wouldn't be all that bad to have a one room place that has all the facilities needed.

It sucks that so many are left with no choice in the matter though.

Re: Apartments So Small They Can Only Be Photographed From Above

#20

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Mar 09, 2013, 8:03 AM UTC

matthewrudy wrote: post #14

berlinbrown wrote: post #2

I live in apartment. Not a micro-one. But I imagine you can find solace in just having only the things you need. Why do you need a ranch size home and 20 acres?

I've lived in Hong Kong for 3 years, normally in a room about 150sqft. And the biggest consequences of living this way are; – no kitchen, I have to eat out every day, which makes me fat - no sofa or decent desk – I have to lie on my bed all the time, bad for my back – no space for guests – can only hang out in restaurants and bars, which makes relationships a bit more distant All this has an effect on society and cul…

[deleted]