Just for reference for those in the US, the "tiny house" in the article would be a small but fairly standard sized apartment in Paris. I think the US just such a warped view on house sizes compared to much of the rest of the world.
That said, it is a precarious lifestyle and not something people do by choice.
A small apartment is pretty good and workable when it's in a city where you can make use of external facilities. I just don't see the point when you have space for 50 houses on the land but you build this one shipping container sized one right in the middle.