Renters in Washington, DC, according to several studies, are growing more and more interested in smaller apartments—very small. A Delta Associates analysis shows 45% fewer two-bedrooms going up in D.C. now than in 2000. Responding to this change, a lot of which originates with younger singles looking for simple digs in “a high-energy environment,” a few progressive building owners are installing “micro-units”—living spaces having between 350 to 600 square feet. Julie Williams, 36, National Institutes of Health employee, resides in a studio apartment roughly the size of a large master bedroom in some nearby Alexandria McMansion. And loves it. “I previously lived in a two-bedroom,” she told Liz Essley Whyte for washingtonpost.com, “but I would rather live here. I have everything I need right here…walking distance to Metro, to restaurants, to the grocery store, so it’s perfect.”
A lot of these micro-units are opening up, as developers and realtors alike realize it's the area outside attracting millennials like Williams, who prefer to shell out for location and like-minded neighbors over maximum square footage. Instead of further isolating singles, this voluntary down-scaling actually is bringing them together by way of the old-fashioned (yet still kicking) meet-and-greet, often held on rooftops of buildings composed of micro-units. That old saw, "less is more," holds up well in this scenario. Now, if we can find a way to apply it to other Capitol matters, well....
