No space like home? Small domestic properties, compensatory urbanism and housing futures
(Online only, 1300-1400 GMT 31 Oct 2025, zoom)
In this presentation, Phil Hubbard will consider the rise of micro-apartments in the UK as a potential solution to the housing crisis. Drawing on both ‘big data’ sources, as well as qualitative case study material, the seminar will consider the uneven geographies of small domestic properties, flats and studios, presenting evidence that these tend to cluster in locations close to the places of work and entertainment sought after by young urban professionals and post-students. But far from solving the affordability crisis, the paper suggests that these properties are adding value to real estate in ways that benefit developers rather than occupiers, potentially implicated in urban gentrification. Concluding, the seminar asks if the micro-apartments of today will be the slums of tomorrow?