No Room in the Inn

Towards a Smaller Housing Paradigm: A Literature Review of Accessory Dwelling Units and Micro Studios

“…SROs originated as a form of housing for transient urban workers who desired a flexibility of tenure and required a location close to urban jobs. This type of housing can be defined as "partial rooms," which lack complete private kitchens and plumbing facilities, and are located within buildings containing 12 or more similar units (Overbo, Minkler, & Liljestrand, 1991). Historian Marie Wong describes the SROs located in Seattle as following a standard typology: the first floor was commercial retail, with the potential for office space on a mezzanine floor above.…”

“…Tenants were not on any sort of lease, and so were free to move at whim (Wong, 2015). Originally home to people of all class backgrounds, SROs eventually fell out of fashion, and the residents who remained in these types of housing were often the poorest urban citizens (Overbo, Minkler, & Liljestrand, 1991). 7 The growing stigma against SROs combined with urban renewal programs in the 1960's and 70's, resulted in the demolition of many thousands of SRO units.…”

“…Today, gentrification continues to pick away at the small remaining inventory of SRO housing: many SROs are built on centrally-located urban land, where the value of potential redevelopment often outweighs the value of existing SRO structures. The SROs that have managed to resist demolition are often dilapidated and face a regulatory environment that makes continued operation increasingly infeasible (Overbo, Minkler, & Liljestrand, 1991).…”