Moving to a new city can be a daunting prospect, especially if rents are high and space is limited.
But housing companies have come up with a solution: shared living.
While it's not a new concept, a number of firms are promoting ready-made roommates as an easy, affordable way to start in a new location.
But could capitalizing on convenience radically alter communities?
Nick Harper reports from New York.
IN: "This is..."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:13
AIR: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-air.mp3
ARN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-arn.mp3
FM4: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-fm4.mp3
GENERIC: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-gen.mp3
ICRT: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-icrt.mp3
NIGERIA: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-von.mp3
938LIVE: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-938.mp3
RNZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-rnz.mp3
VATICAN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-ziz.mp3
TAKE VO
This is an apartment that comes with friends included. They're thrown in with the rent to help kick-start your move to a new city.
upsound - Sophie
TAKE VO
Sophie Wilkinson works for Common, the company that provides this shared housing.
She lived in an apartment like this for a year when she came to New York.
SOT - Super: Sophie Wilkinson, Head of Construction and Design, Common
"I loved it, I really got to love my roommates. I was part of a strong Australian community in New York but I really wasn't that connected to much other strong groupings. So I really just felt part of a community and I really just loved that."
TAKE VO
This space in Brooklyn costs around $1,700 a month. It comes with shared living space, and a cleaning service and utilities are included.
Plus there are weekly community events.
Shared housing is not uncommon, especially for students. But the company saw a market for professionals who want companionship.
SOT - Super: Sophie Wilkinson, Head of Construction and Design, Common
"Room-mating is prevalent in cities all over the world, and definitely in cities like New York. It's already happening ad hoc, so we're basically just bringing a solution to a thing that's prevalent in real estate."
TAKE VO
In New York City, with its eight and a half million inhabitants, space is at a premium. Manhattan is the most expensive place to live in the US. And there are some who worry that commercializing shared living only exacerbates that problem.
TAKE VO
Urban planning professor Thomas Angotti says it has the potential to drive rental prices up and force diverse, local communities out.
SOT - Super: Professor Thomas Angotti, Hunter College Community Planning and Development
"What this does is jack up rents, it contributes to this general trend of gentrification and displacement throughout New York City, whose victims are people with modest incomes, new immigrants who don't have alternatives, and particularly in a city that is highly segregated, people of color."
TAKE VO
Common says it's simply meeting a demand. It gets and receives 500 new tenant applications every week for its 360 rooms nationwide.
But that solution of convenience and community may come at a cost.
SOC
ENDS
But housing companies have come up with a solution: shared living.
While it's not a new concept, a number of firms are promoting ready-made roommates as an easy, affordable way to start in a new location.
But could capitalizing on convenience radically alter communities?
Nick Harper reports from New York.
IN: "This is..."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:13
AIR: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-air.mp3
ARN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-arn.mp3
FM4: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-fm4.mp3
GENERIC: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-gen.mp3
ICRT: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-icrt.mp3
NIGERIA: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-von.mp3
938LIVE: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-938.mp3
RNZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-rnz.mp3
VATICAN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0817shared-nh-ziz.mp3
TAKE VO
This is an apartment that comes with friends included. They're thrown in with the rent to help kick-start your move to a new city.
upsound - Sophie
TAKE VO
Sophie Wilkinson works for Common, the company that provides this shared housing.
She lived in an apartment like this for a year when she came to New York.
SOT - Super: Sophie Wilkinson, Head of Construction and Design, Common
"I loved it, I really got to love my roommates. I was part of a strong Australian community in New York but I really wasn't that connected to much other strong groupings. So I really just felt part of a community and I really just loved that."
TAKE VO
This space in Brooklyn costs around $1,700 a month. It comes with shared living space, and a cleaning service and utilities are included.
Plus there are weekly community events.
Shared housing is not uncommon, especially for students. But the company saw a market for professionals who want companionship.
SOT - Super: Sophie Wilkinson, Head of Construction and Design, Common
"Room-mating is prevalent in cities all over the world, and definitely in cities like New York. It's already happening ad hoc, so we're basically just bringing a solution to a thing that's prevalent in real estate."
TAKE VO
In New York City, with its eight and a half million inhabitants, space is at a premium. Manhattan is the most expensive place to live in the US. And there are some who worry that commercializing shared living only exacerbates that problem.
TAKE VO
Urban planning professor Thomas Angotti says it has the potential to drive rental prices up and force diverse, local communities out.
SOT - Super: Professor Thomas Angotti, Hunter College Community Planning and Development
"What this does is jack up rents, it contributes to this general trend of gentrification and displacement throughout New York City, whose victims are people with modest incomes, new immigrants who don't have alternatives, and particularly in a city that is highly segregated, people of color."
TAKE VO
Common says it's simply meeting a demand. It gets and receives 500 new tenant applications every week for its 360 rooms nationwide.
But that solution of convenience and community may come at a cost.
SOC
ENDS