Practically no major city in the world, not even a mid-sized one, escapes the rise in housing prices. As you might expect, finding affordable property to buy or rent in New York has become an almost impossible mission.
In Manhattan, median rent now hovers around $5,000 a month, while exclusive neighborhoods like SoHo or NoLita report sale prices well above $4.5 million.
Brooklyn doesn’t offer much relief either, with average rents near $4,300 a month and areas such as Williamsburg or DUMBO where many homes exceed $1.5 million.
Although Queens remains a somewhat cheaper option, rents range from $2,600 to $3,500 per month. Meanwhile, the Bronx continues to be the most affordable borough, with neighborhoods where rents can still fall below $2,000.
Moving into a laundromat
Production designer Li Sampson Dahl, a 27-year-old, chose a very unconventional path when seeking a solution.
In 2019 he discovered an old laundromat in the Maspeth area of Queens, shuttered since 2005, and turned it into his home and creative studio. He now pays less than friends living in conventional apartments, exactly about $1,900 a month to live there. This stands as a striking example of how prices are pushing many New Yorkers to pursue unthinkable alternatives just a few years ago.
“I don’t think a space should be a perfect reflection of how we expect a simple mind to look. I think a space should be an imperfect reflection of the people who are in it at that moment in their lives,” he told the American network CNBC.
A rental that has risen over the years
When he signed the lease in March 2019, the rent was $1,750 per month. He also had to prepay two months’ rent and pay a security deposit of $875.
In 2021, the landlord increased the rent to $1,850. Add to that about $120 a month for electricity and another $60 for Internet.
The space already included a small kitchen installed by a previous tenant, equipped with a sink, a stove, and a toaster oven, enough to meet his daily needs.
After the experience, he prefers a storefront to a conventional apartment
Following the experience, this young New Yorker admits: “I like the freedom of a commercial space, even though there are definitely fewer tenant rights,” he said.
He also explained why he thinks it makes more sense to occupy an empty establishment than to compete for a residential dwelling: “There’s something more ethical about moving into a vacant shop that has sat empty for years than renting an apartment in a residential neighborhood I’m not familiar with.”
A studio full of reclaimed objects
Thanks to his work as a production designer, he frequently keeps furniture and decorative elements that are no longer used in various audiovisual projects.
With them he has created distinct zones inside the former shop, such as a station for composing songs, a corner dedicated to a piano, and several spaces for developing artistic activities.
“This space accommodates some of my tendencies to hoard, but I try to be as decorative as possible. While most of the things are technically trash, and many were free, I choose them in a way that feels most comfortable,” he explained.
The value of community
One of the aspects he most cherishes about living there is his relationship with the neighbors. After a burglary a few months ago, he says he witnessed the level of support in the district.
“People look out for me more than I look out for myself, and that’s what a real community is. I recognized genuine community when I was a child, and I’m experiencing it again now,” he told CNBC.
A problem that reflects the housing shortage
Dahl’s story comes at a particularly tough moment for the U.S. housing market.
The latest Economic Report of the President, prepared by the White House, estimates that the country faces a deficit close to 10 million homes, a shortage that continues to push up rents and home prices.
Spain is not exempt from this problem either. The Bank of Spain estimates that the Spanish housing market needs about 700,000 additional homes to balance supply with demand.
Although the circumstances in both countries are, of course, different, the shortage of affordable housing is forcing many young people to seek unconventional solutions to keep living in major cities.