Spring has sprung and now that we’re entering the summer months, we are in full “British Social Season” mode. We’ve had the Varsity boat race, Glyndebourne is in fine voice and the grasses of Wimbledon and polo fields are preparing for a pounding.
There has been a veritable flurry of activity around the country in terms of event, with more to come, but one of the highlights on our calendar was the Chelsea Flower Show.
Although, as the name suggests, it lends itself purely to thoughts of the outdoors and grubbing around in one’s garden, there are definitely topics that translate to our indoor as well as outdoor habitat…and vice versa.
The increasing number of small flats, apartments and living spaces throughout the world is a result of the on-going growing population and migration of people to cities and the urban housing development. The increasing prices for property and the continuing climb in urbanization is forcing people into less space, particularly in cities like London, Paris, New York and Hong Kong where land is priced at a premium due to its limited supply. The human needs are still the same, so how does the lack of space affect human wellbeing? Over the last 30 years, the perception of what constitutes small apartments has totally changed. Historically, small apartments generally offered floor space of about 55 square meters. Today, it is very common in large urban cities to find apartments as small as 10-15 square meters. According to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA, 2012), lack of space is the most common cause of dissatisfaction people cite in relation to their homes. According to the United Nation’s Urbanization report from 2014, the number of people living in big cities will increase with 66% by 2050 (United Nations, 2014). The projected increase in demand for home will inevitably lead to an increase in property prices too.
