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Comment by 0xB31B1B | Hacker News Reader

Why is that cynical/implying this is bad? IMO We need more tenements. Someone making 50k/year working in a central city should be able to chose if they want a bigger unit and a commute, or a bed to crash in and a walk to work. There is a huge and underserved demand for these by for example grad students, recent college graduates, consultants/long distance commuters (ex, live in Oregon fri - Sunday, fly to SF and work mon - thurs)

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Speaking for myself here: I don't object to this as a possibility for people who want it--I object to the possibility of this becoming the norm. We're not there yet, of course, but problems creep in when people feel like they don't have a choice. It's also a problem when situations like this are seen as a reasonable tradeoff rather than a symptom of a larger problem about how society is organized in the first place.

Hell, I'd personally camp out in a storage unit if I could. All I want is a place to sleep and store a handful of things. Since zoning laws prevent that and because there are few affordable & legal options, I'm always forced to rent a larger amount of space than I need for thousands of dollars rather than hundreds. I'm not saying that I'd live so minimally forever, but as a single guy trying to save money, it'd be be a boon to my finances.

The reason I don't currently live at PodShare, like the subject in that article, is that I remembered seeing the monthly fee being well over $1000, at which point it makes no sense over simply renting a room in someone's house.

> Why is that cynical/implying this is bad?

Cynically in the context of the articles' semi-upbeat note about affluence, minimalism, and personal decision to own experiences rather than stuff.

I don't necessarily disagree that we need more tenements, except that I would have to carefully qualify what kind of tenements we're talking about. The industrial revolution held some horrifyingly poor standards of living that I wouldn't wish on my enemies.

Aside: I wonder if the rise of the so-called 'incels' sub-culture is more tightly linked to income or to housing. It may be worth while to investigate the self-professed 'incels' and their housing habits. If you are in one of these tenement style group bunks, I imagine that you'd have a much harder time meeting and 'interacting' with your preferred partners-to-be.

Certainly not a problem in hostels

I think it's more people on the frindges, finally able to share ideas. I know plenty of people that live with parents or in squalid conditions and have no problems. Lots of these incels are socially challenged and / or on spectrum

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