The Health Risks of Small Apartments
New York City has a housing problem. Currently, it has 1.8 million one-and two-person households, and only one million studios and one-bedroom apartments. The obvious solution seems to be to develop more small residential units. But as New York City"s "micro-apartment" project inches closer to reality, experts warn that micro-living may not be the urban panacea we"ve been waiting for.
"Sure, these micro-apartments may be fantastic for young professionals in their 20"s," says Dak Kopec, director of design for human health at Boston Architectural College. "But they definitely can be unhealthy for older people, say in their 30"s and 40"s, who face different stress factors that can make tight living conditions a problem." Research, Kopec says, has shown that crowding-related stress can increase rates of domestic violence and substance abuse.
For all of us, daily life is a sequence of events, he explains. But most people don"t like adding extra steps to everyday tasks. Because micro-apartments are too small to hold basic furniture like a bed, table, and couch at the same time, residents must reset their quarters throughout the day. In this case, residents might eventually stop folding up their furniture every day and the space will start feeling even more constrained.
Susan Saegert, professor of environmental psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center agrees that the micro- apartments will likely be a welcome choice for young New Yorkers. But she warns that tiny living conditions can be terrible for other residents—particularly if a couple or a parent and child squeeze into 300 square feet for the long term, no matter how well a unit is designed. "I"ve studied children in crowded apartments and low-income housing a lot," Saegert said, "and they can end up becoming withdrawn, and have trouble studying and concentrating."
"When we think about micro-living, we have a tendency to focus on functional things, like is there enough room for the fridge," explained University of Texas psychology professor Samuel Gosling, who studies the connection between people and their possessions. "But an apartment has to fill other psychological needs as well, such as self-expression and relaxation, which might not be as easily met in a highly confined space."
On the other hand, Eugenie L. Birch, professor of urban research and education at the University of Pennsylvania, says this certainly isn"t the first time we"ve had this debate over micro-living. New York has grappled with the public health costs of crowded living conditions and minimum apartment standards throughout its history.
Rolf Pendall, director of the Urban Institute"s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center asks: Where would all these people be doing business and living without the density Would they be commuting longer distances or earning less, and is living farther from economic opportunities "better" for them In that context, Pendall says he welcomes micro-apartments as long as they fit within the larger housing ecology of the city, and don"t ultimately displace other types of units for families.
For this project, while New York may be taking a step backwards in terms of square footage, Eric Bunge, working at Architects, (the firm that created the winning micro-apartment design), is firm that the city is taking a big step forward in terms of actual living conditions. "The city sees this initiative as one mechanism in a set of complex issues," Bunge says. "Nobody is claiming that micro-apartments will be a silver bullet."
A. micro-apartments should be welcomed as long as they do solve the housing problems for some people.
B. micro-apartments may not fill people"s psychological needs.
C. micro-apartments will be an attempt help to solve the housing problems, but not a cure yet.
D. micro-apartments may be welcomed by the elder people.
E. narrow living conditions may cause the increase of domestic violence.
F. children growing up in crowded apartments may have trouble studying and concentrating.
G. micro-apartments may be unhealthy for young people to live.
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A study in India examined the effect of knowing more than one language in delaying the first signs of several disorders. Researchers studied nearly 650 people whose average age was 66. 240 of those studied suffered from Alzheimer"s, the most common form of mental decline. 391 of the subjects spoke two or more languages. Investigators found the dementias began about four-and-a-half years later in those who spoke two languages compared to those who spoke only one language.
Thomas Bak helped to organise the study. He is with the Center of Cognitive Aging at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He suggests that individuals who speak more than one language train their brains by moving back and forth between different words and expressions.
Mr. Bak believes this effort improves what scientists called executive functioning or attention to tasks, this mental ability often weakens in people with dementias.
Researchers found there was no extra gain in speaking more than two languages. They also did not see a delay in the first signs of Lewy bodies dementia, the disorder causes patients to see or experience things that do not real exist. They can also cause sufferers to move back and forth between being wide awake and really sleeping.
Mr. Bak says it does not appear important whether you learn a language at a young age or later in life.
"So it"s not something you sort of say that "you missed the boat when you do not do it as a baby". It is something that is still quite useful and powerful when you do it as an adult," he said.
Scientists found that speaking more than one language help delay the first signs of dementias, even in those who could not read.What did the study in India find()
A.People started to suffer from dementias at the age of 66.
B.Mental ability of people with dementias weakened.
C.All people would suffer from dementias though the time varies.
D.People who spoke only one language suffered from dementias earlier.
The Health Risks of Small Apartments
New York City has a housing problem. Currently, it has 1.8 million one-and two-person households, and only one million studios and one-bedroom apartments. The obvious solution seems to be to develop more small residential units. But as New York City"s "micro-apartment" project inches closer to reality, experts warn that micro-living may not be the urban panacea we"ve been waiting for.
"Sure, these micro-apartments may be fantastic for young professionals in their 20"s," says Dak Kopec, director of design for human health at Boston Architectural College. "But they definitely can be unhealthy for older people, say in their 30"s and 40"s, who face different stress factors that can make tight living conditions a problem." Research, Kopec says, has shown that crowding-related stress can increase rates of domestic violence and substance abuse.
For all of us, daily life is a sequence of events, he explains. But most people don"t like adding extra steps to everyday tasks. Because micro-apartments are too small to hold basic furniture like a bed, table, and couch at the same time, residents must reset their quarters throughout the day. In this case, residents might eventually stop folding up their furniture every day and the space will start feeling even more constrained.
Susan Saegert, professor of environmental psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center agrees that the micro- apartments will likely be a welcome choice for young New Yorkers. But she warns that tiny living conditions can be terrible for other residents—particularly if a couple or a parent and child squeeze into 300 square feet for the long term, no matter how well a unit is designed. "I"ve studied children in crowded apartments and low-income housing a lot," Saegert said, "and they can end up becoming withdrawn, and have trouble studying and concentrating."
"When we think about micro-living, we have a tendency to focus on functional things, like is there enough room for the fridge," explained University of Texas psychology professor Samuel Gosling, who studies the connection between people and their possessions. "But an apartment has to fill other psychological needs as well, such as self-expression and relaxation, which might not be as easily met in a highly confined space."
On the other hand, Eugenie L. Birch, professor of urban research and education at the University of Pennsylvania, says this certainly isn"t the first time we"ve had this debate over micro-living. New York has grappled with the public health costs of crowded living conditions and minimum apartment standards throughout its history.
Rolf Pendall, director of the Urban Institute"s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center asks: Where would all these people be doing business and living without the density Would they be commuting longer distances or earning less, and is living farther from economic opportunities "better" for them In that context, Pendall says he welcomes micro-apartments as long as they fit within the larger housing ecology of the city, and don"t ultimately displace other types of units for families.
For this project, while New York may be taking a step backwards in terms of square footage, Eric Bunge, working at Architects, (the firm that created the winning micro-apartment design), is firm that the city is taking a big step forward in terms of actual living conditions. "The city sees this initiative as one mechanism in a set of complex issues," Bunge says. "Nobody is claiming that micro-apartments will be a silver bullet."
A. micro-apartments should be welcomed as long as they do solve the housing problems for some people.
B. micro-apartments may not fill people"s psychological needs.
C. micro-apartments will be an attempt help to solve the housing problems, but not a cure yet.
D. micro-apartments may be welcomed by the elder people.
E. narrow living conditions may cause the increase of domestic violence.
F. children growing up in crowded apartments may have trouble studying and concentrating.
G. micro-apartments may be unhealthy for young people to live.
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