The fad we call "co-living" today has been common for most of the nation's history. You can even see examples of it in old movies, books, and TV shows.
But now that it's got SVVC money behind it, it's somehow shiny and new.
Although the "pod" angle seems new, it's not. Though, it was almost exclusively for the very very poor in the past.
Does this also mean it is a "step down"? Because it looks like it is. Aren't we supposed to be better off than we used to - with all the efficiencies of market economy and technological progress that is...
Progress doesn't subvert the laws of supply and demand.
[1] https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/apa/d/cincinnati-stunning-...
For a good idea of what housing is currently like around here, point something like Zillow or whatever in Lake County, look at Waukegan, Gurnee, the Chain of Lakes area, and if you want quite a bit cheaper you can go west a few more miles to McHenry County. Or for an area that is closer to urban, go north to Racine.
Now much of the housing in this price range (100 - 200K) is going to be older homes, however a lot of them are either well maintained (as there is a large blue-collar demographic here that is comfortable with DIY), and there is also plenty of new construction that you can get in that price range also.
Edit: just did a Zillow search, for all of Lake County IL, for single family homes 100 - 200K, and got 894 results. I added the keyword "as is" to the search, and only 139 of those have "as is" in the description.
Why is living with other human beings considered a "step down"? Most people in this so called "modern" age are horribly lonely.
Living in a bunk is a different story - I've stayed in my fair share of hostels and honestly the worst part about a shared room is the snorers (even with ear plugs etc.)
The main difference to a regular apartment are the events in the building - yoga sessions, regular community dinners, weekly football matches, parties etc. Everyone in the building gets to know each other pretty quickly. Average age is about 29.
Sharing a room with someone you're pretty familiar with is a much different experience.
I meant more that I don't think that type of situation was common throughout history, more-so just for that time period for a certain group of people.
My impression is more that while families and groups of families might have cohabitated for long periods of time, it was a bit more rare for complete strangers to do so.