It is difficult to define a general footage to determine that a home is micro, however, this residential trend is governed by the motto of “less is more”, therefore, the design of this type of property privileges the optimization of spaces and the economic benefits that this represents.
In accordance with Leonardo González, Real Estate analyst at the real estate portal Propiedades.com, the main advantages of a micro-housing are:
- Low maintenance cost
- It is ideal for people who live alone
- Ease of mobility for its residents
“Micro-houses are ideal solutions for those who live in cities and spend most of their time away from home. They are inexpensive and have all the basic services, “adds the specialist.
More efficient spaces
The needs for a home vary according to its users, and those interested in the micro-housing model have a better perception of the goods and services that provide them with quality of life, so they tend to be more objective when acquiring or making new consumption, explains González .
Likewise, he stressed that they are an ideal alternative for the elderly who are looking for accessible, small and efficient spaces. In addition, they represent adequate alternatives to facilitate care and assistance services.
“If the micro-homes are located in areas with access to cities and have a high density of specialized services, then they will be more functional options than traditional schemes for this population group,” González says.
Possible solution to housing problems
Today, large cities face significant housing challenges. Organizations and associations representing this sector in Mexico, such as the Secretariat for Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu) or Canadevi, identify a housing lag of up to 9.4 million units required. Added to this are the affordability issues and the economic impact of the pandemic.
In the same way, the rhythm of life that is lived in the great metropolises has generated that the suburbs are considered as “dormitory cities “ and the Travel times and costs to business centers can be expensive and long, occupying a significant percentage of total family spending. In this way, micro-houses are presented as a viable alternative to solve some of these problems.
“In a metropolis with accessibility problems and high population density, micro-housing is seen as a favorable trend for use and housing. The size of the average household is getting smaller and smaller. This positions these properties as solutions in a trend with high demand ”, summarizes the analyst.
Nevertheless, it is important that the development of micro-housing is achieved in an urban environment and that the needs of its residents are taken into account. Likewise, the analyst states that it is also important to consider the building codes and the functionality of the models.
“There are cases in which the cost of transferring residents is underestimated by locating them far from work centers. This produces a state of inability and obsolescence of said projects. Eventually, these factors limit the growth of the city if the project is not successful ”, concludes González.
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