Locational and Spatial Development Patterns in U.S. Urban Micro Housing

Abstract

While previous studies of micro-housing have primarily relied on qualitative methods or case-based analyses, this study deploys a more rigorous, data-driven approach. We construct a hand-collected dataset covering 11 major U.S. cities to enable a quantitative examination of this emerging housing form. Drawing on 40 variables from 32 projects, including locational data, physical characteristics, market performance, and amenity features, we identified five distinct micro-housing typologies: TechEd, Dependent, Stand-Alone, Luxury, and Affordable Sharing Economy. In the context of increasing remote work and the growing influence of the sharing economy, these distinct micro-housing types are becoming increasingly relevant as an urban development model. This paper represents a first step toward systematically understanding these building typologies and uncovers their locational patterns through empirical analysis.