Seattle has more single people living alone than any major U.S. city.

The average new apartment size in Seattle is just 650 square feet -- that’s the smallest in the nation. If you’re single, that might work for you. But if you want to raise a family in a larger space, that can get expensive: $3500 a month on average for a 3-bedroom apartment. That’s more than double what a studio would cost. A house with a backyard could cost thousands more.

Now, a growing number of people are building a different kind of housing to get the benefit of more space without the added cost. It’s called co-housing, where people come together with friends and strangers to live in modest apartments with more shared spaces -- all designed from scratch.

On today's episode, can a housing model built on sharing really make city life more affordable?

Coming up: Did you or someone you know move to the Pacific Northwest because of climate change? Whether the motivation was environmental disaster, rising insurance costs, or just general anxiety, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. 

Seattle has more single people living alone than any major U.S. city.
The average new apartment size in Seattle is just 650 square feet -- that&rsquo;s the smallest in the nation. If you&rsquo;re single, that might work for you. But if you want to raise a family in a larger space, that can get expensive: $3500 a month on average for a 3-bedroom apartment. That&rsquo;s more than double what a studio would cost. A house with a backyard could cost thousands more.
Now, a growing number of people are building a different kind of housing to get the benefit of more space without the added cost. It&rsquo;s called co-housing, where people come together with friends and strangers to live in modest apartments with more shared spaces -- all designed from scratch.
On today's episode, can a housing model built on&nbsp;sharing&nbsp;really make city life more affordable?
Coming up: Did you or someone you know move to the Pacific Northwest because of climate change? Whether the motivation was environmental disaster, rising insurance costs, or just general anxiety, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at <a href="tel:2062217158" data-stringify-link="tel:2062217158" data-sk="tooltip_parent">(206) 221-7158</a>&nbsp;and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:booming@kuow.org">booming@kuow.org</a>.
We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, <a href="https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=uMFXPa70OUatsTMSrjvIJ5wu4pddDeJJqcmnkviZNfRUOURKNzBBMkRNQjBCRU5GRUtXME4zSEEyMi4u&amp;route=shorturl" data-stringify-link="https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=uMFXPa70OUatsTMSrjvIJ5wu4pddDeJJqcmnkviZNfRUOURKNzBBMkRNQjBCRU5GRUtXME4zSEEyMi4u&amp;route=shorturl" data-sk="tooltip_parent">linked here</a>, to tell us your thoughts.
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes" data-stringify-link="http://kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes" data-sk="tooltip_parent">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes</a>.
Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith" data-stringify-link="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek" data-stringify-link="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Lucy Soucek</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan" data-stringify-link="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols" data-stringify-link="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Joshua McNichols</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg" data-stringify-link="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.&nbsp;

Booming is a weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.

Booming is a weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It&rsquo;s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In&nbsp;Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.

Booming

A growing number of people are building a different kind of housing to get the benefit of more space without the added cost. It’s called co-housing, where people come together with friends and strangers to live in modest apartments with more shared spaces -- all designed from scratch.

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