NAKED CITY: WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF THE MICRO APARTMENT!

Everybody knows how difficult it is to rent or buy a reasonably priced apartment in Sydney and the competition has never been more intense. We have reminisced before on the good old days when back in the 1980s there was an abundance of rentable properties, agents were almost begging you to sign a lease and the smaller, less attractive apartments often stayed vacant for months.

Now anything that vaguely resembles accommodation, with dimensions slightly exceeding a broom cabinet, is on the market as landlords, agents and those out to make a quick buck move to exploit the voracious market. Recent newspaper reports have confirmed that a 14sqm inner-city apartment can now cost around $220,000 and rent for at least $300 a week.

The real estate world of course has put a positive spin on the marketing of these shoebox-sized dwellings promoting them as the latest in New York style downsizing. Loft or Murphy beds are quickly installed and mirrors strategically placed to combat the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. Unfortunately there are no pets allowed as even if you had a cat there wouldn’t be room enough to swing one.

Whilst some renters will turn up their noses at these Lilliputian-sized pads, others will actually embrace the new world of modest self-containment, advocating that with a rapidly increasing population we all need to look at living in smaller and smaller spaces. Certainly as Sydney’s population explodes and is set to top six or seven million in another two decades, the concept of the micro apartment becomes more and more a reality, rather than an imposition.

We can even envisage a brave new world where the popular Japanese-style capsule hotel is adapted for Sydney apartment living. The modular containers, about half the size of a garden shed, will come fully equipped with a bed, microwave, wash basin and flat screen and manufactured in a way that they can be stacked on top of existing apartment blocks or even floated on pontoons around the harbour.

Minimalism will become the new chic and these radical designer micro apartments will establish a gold standard when it comes to living green – fully powered by wind, solar and methane. Whilst originally designed for a single person, many of these eco-pods will be opened up to couples and even foursomes, breaking new ground when it comes to communal living, sexual interaction and not driving your flatmate crazy.

Living small could well become the new paradigm and a total rebuttal of the excesses of Western affluence. There are of course many who say it will never work but hey, we only have to look at the third world for example. They have been living this way forever!

THE HIT LIST: Trivia buffs are well catered for in Sydney with an abundance of pub and club trivia nights all over the city. One of the more interesting takes place at Glebe’s Record Crate (34 Glebe Point Rd) every Thursday from 8pm, with a quiz totally devoted to music questions and covering a wide range of styles. The Record Crate is a combined record shop, grill and bar and the perfect environment to rest your musical knowledge, especially with a bunch of like-minded friends.