With growing populations in cities, more and more people live in homes with little or no outdoor space. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

The rising urban population has made more urban dwellers opt for small living

spaces

. From my perspective,

this

trend in urban housing poses more threats than benefits. On the one hand, tiny

spaces

offer homeowners a simple, frugal and blissfully stress-free lifestyle.

First

, given the limited space, one would have to make some hard choices about what to keep, and what to get rid of. They don’t feel weighed down by all the frivolous items they used to own or a huge mortgage, and they spend less time and money cleaning and maintaining their

home

, which allows more time and money for leisure activities.

In addition

, living in a tiny

home

can help save money in many different ways. People would be able to trim their monthly expenses on heating, cooling, property taxes, or

home

maintenance; and

hence

, put a little extra each month in the savings account.

However

, opponents of

this

housing trend would argue that smaller

spaces

may be linked to health risks and privacy issues.

Although

micro-apartments may be fantastic for young professionals in their 20’s, they definitely can be unhealthy for older people who face different stress factors that can make tight living conditions a problem.

Home

is supposed to be a safe haven, and a resident with a demanding job may feel trapped in a claustrophobic apartment at night. Another main concern of putting people in tightly packed living situations is the fundamental lack of privacy to all residents, exerting negative influences on their well-being. There might be a trickle-down effect for children raised in these

spaces

, who might find it difficult to find a quiet, private room to read and complete their schoolwork. In short, living in a tiny

home

does have compelling benefits, but it is not without its challenges as well. Taking the potential health risks and crowding challenges, I believe micro-living may not be the urban panacea we’ve been waiting for. All in all, tiny

spaces

should be seen as a negative development.