http://inhabitat.com/nyc/horrifyingl...ry-6/?extend=1
This is an interesting photo expose of the cramped quarters of Chinese immigrants. They live on practically nothing so they can send money home.
The photojournalist tries to capture both the "horrifying" living conditions as well as the sense of community.
I keep thinking, maybe a "horrifying" living condition is when a family of 4 rattles around in a 4,000 sq. ft. space without even speaking to each other all day.
I'm not saying that these cramped quarters are not challenging or difficult--but I'm reminded of the beach bungalow DH's relatives owned when DH was a boy. It was probably no bigger than a two-story motor home, and on weekends 20 of his relatives came down from Queens for a relaxing weekend. There were berths set up in the basement.
My DD actually lived in a co-housing situation in Brooklyn, and her "room" was a lot like one of the pictures in this essay. It was more like a perch. You had to climb up on a real ladder and the "room" was about 3 ft tall, so she would just crawl in and lie down. There were about six people living there--some hardcore environmentalists, and they had greywater systems in place. Very different. A tad "horrifying" to the parents (us) but she survived.