Across the United States, cities are struggling with two crises moving in opposite directions. The first is a housing affordability emergency, with half of all renters now spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent. The second is a commercial real estate reckoning as remote work and corporate downsizing hollow out central business districts. Vacant towers stand beside crowded shelters. The imbalance is striking—and increasingly untenable.A new series of studies from Gensler and The Pew Charitable Trusts suggests that the same downtown buildings losing tenants could help ease the housing shortage if cities rethink how they define livable space. Their research, conducted in partnership with Turner Construction and Arnold Ventures, examines a “flexible co-living” model that revives elements of the mid-century single-room occupancy (SRO) while updating it for safety, dignity, and modern lifestyles. The concept aims to transform unviable office properties into compact, affordable communities for single renters—a group that makes up more than one-third of renters nationwide...
RSK: Co-living office conversions make the most of space and lowers rents. I had a girlfriend in colloge who lived at the Regent on Regent Street. That was coliving in a sensnse. Had a living and kitchen area in the middle and a bedrom and bath on each end of a unit. Worked well.
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- - Volume: 25 - WEEK: 44 Date: 10/28/2025 11:09:31 AM -