Content uploaded by Aizhan Akhmedova
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Aizhan Akhmedova on Mar 05, 2023
Content may be subject to copyright.
Modern tendency of development
of architectural typology on the
example of micro-apartment for
Almaty city
Tatsiana Karatseyeva and Aizhan Akhmedova
IEC Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering,
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to analyze the social and functional features of micro-apartment and,
based on the findings, to demonstrate the projects of modern micro-apartment designed for one or two people,
which are implemented in the experimental design.
Design/methodology/approach –Based on the analysis of the study of theoretical scientific works on the
research topic and from the standpoint of an interdisciplinary discourse the social and economic prerequisites for
the demand for such a dwelling are determined and the categories of citizens for whom a micro-apartment is an
advantage are identified. Particular attention is paid to the typological boundaries of the study, the generalization
and synthesis of sources which is reflected in identifyingthe features ofthe functionalzoning of a micro-apartment
in connection with the needs of residents and determining modern ways to improve the comfort of living.
Findings –At the examples of experimental design of micro-apartment for the city of Almaty we
substantiated the expanding the existing typology of residential buildings by adding a new type of urban
dwelling –a micro-apartment which occupies a niche between apartment housing for permanent residence and
traditional hotels.
Originality/value –The content of the study is devoted to the analysis of a micro-apartment as a new type of
modern urban dwelling for a single and small-family population. Urban residents’interest in economical,
affordable small-area dwellings as well as the need to study and design micro format dwellings for the modern
urban environment is a topical issue.
Keywords Micro-apartment, Small-sized apartment, Functional zoning, Urban dwelling, Demand preferences
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Houses are reflections of the human beings, and they determine the fundamental value of
culture. Moreover, they depend on the processes taking place in the country and society.
Providing the population with affordable and comfortable housing is an important issue in
the modern megacities of the world. It is associated with the growth in the number of citizens.
For example, the number of Almaty inhabitances grow from June 2021 to July 2022 from
2,001,304 to 2,048,436 citizens (Demographic Statistics of Kazakhstan, 2022). Another
problem points out are outdated design standards and high housing costs. However, the
transformation processes taking place in the life of the 21st century citizen have caused a
change in preferences and requirements for housing and its arrangement.
The modern livingenvironment, on theone hand, is aiming at taking into account the needs
of a person placing them (and not rarely their financial situation) in the center of the housing
problem. On the other hand, the design has not yet moved away from the previous ideas about a
comfortable home prescribed in the current regulatory documents and rules requiring revision
and addiction. Such inconsistency negatively affects the development of the residential
environment of the city of Almaty as a whole, and it aggravates the housing problem.
The solution of these problems increasingly makes them think about the need to reduce
the size of the living space. For architects and designers –it makes them think in more detail
about every centimeter of living space while taking into account its functional content as
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0969-9988.htm
Received 26 January 2022
Revised 10 May 2022
Accepted 2 June 2022
Engineering, Construction and
Architectural Management
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0969-9988
DOI 10.1108/ECAM-01-2022-0080
much as possible in order to provide the largest number of urban households with a
comfortable place of residence corresponding to their incomes and preferences.
Minimization of living space leads to the emergence of the concept of “micro-apartment”.
Many single and small-family townspeople deliberately choose to live in such a compact
apartment focusing on the advantages of public spaces and accessible infrastructure which is
typical for the central districts of cities. Of course, this does not mean at all that the
construction of micro-apartment is suitable and intended for all social categories of citizens
but it can be noted that this type of dwelling is able to provide millions of single citizens with a
comfortable place to live corresponding to their preferences in a particular period of life. Thus,
a micro-apartment is a modern trend of a demanded dwelling that combines the qualities of an
urban multi-apartment dwelling for permanent and temporary residence.
The purpose of this work was a theoretical analysis of the social and functional
characteristics of a micro-apartment as a probable new type of urban dwelling and to
demonstrate experimental designs of micro-apartment based on the results of the study.
Hypothesis: expanding the existing typology of dwellings can be conducted by adding to
the structure of types of residential houses and apartments of a micro-apartment. This can
subsequently provide certain categories of citizens with rationally designed, comfortable
temporary housing corresponding to their income and lifestyle.
This work does not provide for the calculation of the optimal living space. It is aimed more
at considering the social aspects and functional zoning of the space of a modern micro-
apartment which can improve the quality of life of single and small-family citizens.
In addition, it is necessary to restore the terminological boundaries and criteria for the
typology of dwellings which are displaced, confused and sometimes violated during the years
of active participation in housing construction by business structures.
1.1 Problem setting
The last decades have most vividly reflected the transformation in the political and social
networks of modern megacities of Kazakhstan which has begun to be felt more acutely.
Despite the adoption of state programs for the provision of permanent and rental housing
designed for “an integrated approach to the development of a comfortable living environment
... taking into account urbanization trends and population growth”(Government of the
Republic of Kazakhstan, 2019) the housing problem in megacities is still the most pronounced
and the housing issue remains a big problem.
Being the “southern capital”of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the population of Almaty is
already about two million inhabitants and is increasing every year (Bureau of National
Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
2022), and it is increasing every year (TV channel “Khabar 24”, 2021). People are attracted by
a significantly higher level of opportunities for self-realization, comfort and convenience
which are absent or insufficient in the countryside. High utility bills and the cost of goods and
services force people to save on everything while the purchase of their living space is
postponed for a long and indefinite time (Ergaliev, 2020). Accordingly, the time for creating a
family is postponed. There is an increase in the number of the lonely population. Changes in
their employment and lifestyle require a revision of the housing design standards and “search
for new innovative solutions to the problem of economic affordability of housing”(UNECE,
2018) which should take into account these factors to create a demanded element of the city’s
living environment in accordance with the needs of residents in relation to the dwelling itself
and the living environment.
It is assumed that consideration of social conditions in conjunction with preferences in the
demand for dwellings with a minimum area and the proposed options for experimental
projects will become a prerequisite for expanding the typological list (Eremicheva, 2018)of
ECAM
urban dwellings, and the addition of a new type will subsequently have a positive effect on
increasing the availability of urban dwellings for a wide range of target audiences
(Arshkenova, 2020).
1.2 Rationale and relevance of the topic
The development of a market economy in the postindustrial period is associated with
conflicting interests in the design and construction of modern housing between the
authorities, the population and developers. Despite the disagreements, their goal can be called
to create a diverse housing for each household (Van Doorn et al., 2019) in accordance with its
needs and ability to pay which today leads to the emergence of new directions in solving the
housing problem and design trends. These include the construction of rental housing which is
in great demand, and it is designed to provide young professionals in Kazakhstan
(Zharkeeva, 2019;Murat, 2020) for long-term living. Or Peruashev’s proposal (Deputy’s
proposal, 2017) about the construction of dormitories with common areas of kitchen and
sanitary and hygienic spaces for the young people living in order to “get on their feet, find a
profession and a job, realize their potential and eventually acquire comfortable housing”
(Kazakhstan Today, 2017). The likely rejection of the potential construction of a comfortable
separate urban dwelling voiced in the deputy’s proposal caused a resonance among the
population as a fundamental change in the existing system (Yembergenova et al., 2020), a
return to the “past”–to a communal apartment or dormitory which for many older citizens
are associated with inconveniences while for young people they are not perceived at all as
comfortable housing for the 21st century.
The appearance of a micro-apartment on the housing market may be of interest to various
categories of persons, regardless of income and status (Gazdag and Torlegard, 2018). The
relevance of this study can be associated with the potential interest of the categories of
modern city dwellers defined below in an economical dwelling of a small area, in order to meet
their needs and requirements associated with a new way of life, interests and preferences in
the communicative and informational spheres. Despite the multifaceted study of micro-
apartment among the Russian-speaking and foreign literature, studies of micro-apartment
for the territory of the Almaty megalopolis have not yet been carried out and today they is a
“gap”in the study.
2. Literature review
2.1 The subject of the study
Minimization, as a trend, in modern urban dwellings is most expressed in the concept of
“micro-apartment”(Mamaeva, 2019). It should be noted that, as a scientific term, the concept
of “micro-apartment”does not exist (Al-Yakoob et al., 2021) but with the help of it in the
modern world they denote a tendency to minimize the space of an apartment and cells, the
area of which is lower than the allowable area according to the approved sanitary standards
(Generalov, 2014) in a particular country and with rationally used floor space (Das and Dash,
2020). The minimum dimensions for dwelling and sanitary facilities vary by country. They
are associated, for example, with the traditional features of living (as in Japanese apartments)
or functional aspects (if we consider the small-sized Soviet apartments in which people still
live). It follows from this that the preference for modern “micro”sizes will differ depending on
the region, sociocultural characteristics and temperament of the resident, which affect the
preference (presence or absence) of certain public spaces.
We should immediately clarify the ambiguity of the term “micro-apartment”in foreign
countries and in the post-Soviet space. In the countries of Europe and the USA, apartments of
a compact area are usually called a micro-apartment. In the post-Soviet space, it is most often
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
associated with a small apartment of the Khrushchev era (Akhmedova and Posocco, 2020),
and it is most often called similarly.
The works on the typology of modern urban dwellings of the micro format are the most
illustrative for defining the concept of a micro-apartment. An example is the typology of
Panchal (2018). The author defines the typology of compact dwellings (small housing)
depending on the location of utility rooms (kitchens and lavatories) and the number of living
rooms. So, in this work, a micro-apartment is defined:
(1) as a separate apartment –The author refers to the first type of “Micro-units”as a
studio-format dwelling with a kitchen niche and a private but combined bathroom;
(2) like an apartment where each room acts as a micro-apartment –The second type of
“Micro-suites”consists of several sleeping quarters. The kitchen is intended for
shared use, and the bathroom can be located both in the room itself, and it can be
private or shared with those living within the same apartment; and
(3) the third type of dwelling –“Group-housing”–refers to modern ways of living. It
means an apartment with several adjacent living rooms (two or more) for sleeping and
storing the minimum amount of things: a) with a bathroom in the room. In this case,
the common kitchen acts as a common area for everyone living in the apartment/
apartments; b) only with living rooms and the bathroom and the kitchen are common
for all residents, and they are located outside the individual space, for example, on the
floor. The author notes that common spaces accommodate those functions that are
absent in living spaces due to their compactness, and he focuses on the introduction of
transformable furniture (Figure 1).
The examples show that the kitchen area and the bathroom area can be private if they are
located directly in the living space of the cell (the first type); semigeneral –intended for the use
of persons living in this block (second type) and general when they are outside the personal
space (third type).
Thus, microdwellings of the second and third types are only partially a micro-apartment
since the utility rooms (lavatories) and the kitchen area (or a separate kitchen) are collectively
used. However, it is important for further research to combine cells which correspond to the
demanded modern way of living in an urban environment mainly among young people.
The second example is the classification of existing small-sized housing proposed by
Generalov et al. (2016). The authors distinguish a more complex typological structure of
small-sized housing, and they propose to divide it into subtypes: small-sized –min 26 m
2
and
mini-housing including: capsule 2–8(m
2
); micro 9–15 (m
2
); mini 16–25 (m
2
). The types of
housing depend on the occupied area and the inclusion or exclusion of functional areas from
the personal space.
The authors describe mini-housing of the micro format as a dwelling with a living room, a
kitchen, a place to sleep, a combined bathroom and a place to work (Chernysheva, 2016). The
apartments are equipped with a specially designed set of furniture and equipment. This kind
BATH BATH
KITCHEN
(a) (b) (c) (d)
KITCHEN KITCHEN
KITCHEN
BED 1 BED 2 BED 1
BED 2
BED 1
BED 2
BATH
BATH
BATH
Figure 1.
Typology of micro-
apartment according to
Yashesh Panchal: (а)
«Micro-units»; (b)
«Micro-suites»; (c and
d) «Group-housing»
ECAM
of dwelling is essentially an apartment –it includes all the necessary functional areas. They
are located in a limited space of 9–15 m
2
, and they are intended for use by 1–2 people. We will
take this particular formulation as a working one for further research.
From the carried out typological analysis it is possible to single out the features of
micro-apartment (Figure 2).
Research on compact housing today also covers the following areas Table 1:
2.2 Modern prerequisites for the demand for micro-apartment
Both the behavior and the quality of life of a modern city dweller depend on the pace of life
inherent in a metropolis, its “dense population”. Not only people with their activities influence
the development of a big city but also vice versa. The city has a significant impact on the
psyche and value’s system of the citizens. The city determines the rhythm, lifestyle, wellness,
and family sizes. And this influence is more while that the larger the settlement.
The main social prerequisite can be considered a change in the value orientations of the
modern population, mainly related to the way of life and demographic shifts in favor of small-
family and single living (Table 2).
The number of lonely city dwellers is growing every year and currently reaches about a
third of the total urban population (Verdodo, Archive, 2020); researches often do not define it
as a symptom or problem of humanity noting a great social activity among the lonely
population. In such cities, the cultural life is richer (Klinenberg, 2013), and people are
constantly in search of interesting communication (Sinyakova, 2020) which is reflected in the
developed structure of public spaces.
Figure 2.
The features of
micro-apartment
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
An important prerequisite for the socioeconomic plan is the discrepancy between the income
level (Nikolaev, 2013) of the townspeople in need of housing and the cost of renting/buying an
apartment. This entails the need for several people to live together on the same living space
(Clinton, 2018). In this case, the availability of sufficient supply on the micro-apartment
market will make it possible to provide affordable (Geffner, 2018) and comfortable housing
for single and small-family citizens and will allow, through the construction of an affordable
micro-housing to release larger apartments (Luca et al., 2016) for families.
Accessibility to the place of work and services is determined by the location of the building
(usually in central areas), which will help save money on transport services, improve
environmental performance due to walking distance (Leptyukhova and Bibartseva, 2020)orthe
use of alternative modes of transport (Brown, 2014) and the ability to attract people to central
regions. On the one hand, this will helpensure a more intensive use of public spaces, and on the
other hand, it will provide an opportunity to “dilute”some areas of cities that have undergone
gentrification or give new functions to underutilized but prestigious territories (Rack, 2016).
The development of modern technical advances is also partly a kind of prerequisite for the
preference of a micro-apartment which is characterized by a reduction in the parameters of
functional zones. By means of technology, the following is carried out: communication of
people which does not imply large spaces and unnecessary furniture; innovative equipment
involves minimizing the cooking space; the absence of a TV is compensated by watching
movies or TV shows on a laptop or tablet which takes up little space and does not require
large storage space.
Research areas Notes
Design: from the side of color and visual perception
(Galyautdinova and Milova, 2020), subject filling and
transformation of functional areas of a compact space
(Soub, 2018) with the aim of rational use of limited
space
The comfort can be achieved by synthesizing
proportions premises, functional zoning, the use of
transformable furniture and color design. At the
same time, the authors try to view the apartment as a
philosophy of a new life which corresponds to the
“Concept of reasonable consumption”(Permyakov
and Krasnova, 2021) and fully meets the modern way
of life
The importance of public spaces (Nasyrova, 2020)in
the dialogue with the existing infrastructure of the
city (Hwang and Rossini, 2018)
The authors “domesticate”the urban space giving it
the function of a modern living room (Roely, 2017) for
social interaction (Hoang and Vandal, 2017)
Urban planning in connection with the rental
orientation of this kind of dwelling (Gareev et al., 2017)
Noting the transition to individual design, the search
for the uniqueness of spatial solutions and the refusal
to design exclusively according to regulatory
requirements (Potienko, 2017)
Psychological comfort of living (Sorokina, 2017)
emphasizing the importance of the role of architects
and designers in interior design, as well as the
necessity of the good view from the window that
becomes “extension”of the flat
Noting that psychological comfort depends on the
availability of a separate apartment and it is based
mainly on the individual preferences of a person
(Tervo and Hirvonen, 2020), which can also be traced
from the side of the relevance of the swelling in
connection with the shift of consumer priorities to the
utilitarian qualities of effective use of space. Among
which are important –a planning solution,
technologies that can help to reduce utility costs, the
improvement of the adjacent space. The housing can
be considered from the position of the “crowding”
where «“crowded”depends not only on the number of
people sharing the dwelling, but on their age, their
relationship and their sex»(WHO, 2018)
Table 1.
Research areas of the
compact housing
ECAM
From the prerequisites, it can be seen that the design and construction of a compact dwelling
with the prefix “micro”in modern cities is a certain niche that can provide citizens in need of
such housing with a comfortable dwelling that can partially solve social, economic and
environmental problems.
In general, the studies of theauthors can be presented inthe form of a kind of modern concept
of urban life. This is a response to the high demand for comfortablehousing for single andsmall-
family citizens (Holert and Peskes, 2019) in areas with high land values (Shore, 2014). The
essence of the concept is that a compact space may well be comfortable for temporary residence,
in the case when the choice of this type of dwelling ismade consciously(including modernways
of living with the introduction of public spaces), subject to design with the involvement of
specialists and expanding the functions of the space outside a private apartment.
3. Methods and materials
The research has been conducted with the aim to make an analysis of the social and
functional features of micro-flats which can become the new type of urban apartment. The
Social prerequisites Notes The role of micro-apartment
Preference for loneliness (Lokova
et al., 2021;Korkiya, 2020)asa
modern trend in life
This is associated, for example,
with technical advances –
ubiquitous virtualization and the
loss of the value of real
communication or with late
marriage (Sinyakova, 2020)of
modern youth whose career is in
the first place and, if not the
likelihood of getting rich, then at
least the need to achieve a certain
level material wealth
A micro-apartment is a launching
pad for a great independent life
where a separate living space is
already a great value
An increase in the number of
divorces (Satsuk et al., 2020)
Today divorce is a peculiar
phenomenon of urban life. It is
increasingly “penetrating”even
seemingly hitherto conservative
families and regions
Micro-apartment for broken
families can become an affordable
haven
Increasing age and aging of the
population. Increasingly, lonely
older people prefer compact
housing for life (James, 2008;
Iglesias, 2014)
This can be confirmed by examples
of modern concepts and research
on successful aging –“Young Old”
(Simpson, 2015), “New Aging”
(Hollwich, 2016). The purpose of
which is to study the lifestyle of
older people for the successful
design of a home and living
environment intended for this
category of citizens as modern and
active people (Troyan, 2020)
In this case micro-apartment
determine the level of a person’s
independence and independence of
living from relatives and the
location of the apartment, and new
ways of living contribute to a
greater degree of communication –
an important condition of “the need
to be in the center of events”
Most of the population for a long
period implements a lifestyle
which is associated with a
temporary stay in cities of an
instability of the place of
residence (Waite, 2015;Tsui,
2019)
This way of life is called modern
nomadism (Shlyakov, 2020). There
is no need for him to equip a
permanent residence designed for
long-term residence, with the
possibility of family growth and
difficult exploitation
This life helps to achieve mobility
(Karatseyeva and Akhmedova,
2021) which is associated with the
ability to travel and work while not
spending a lot of money on renting
an apartment and not limiting
oneself in comfortable living
conditions
Table 2.
Basic social
prerequisites
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
methodology has been based on the theoretical and Internet sources reviewing (Ponomarev
and Pikuleva, 2014). And Figure 3 clearly presents the methodology structure.
To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set and research assumptions were as
follows:
Goals Research assumptions
The research
stages
To analyze theoretical studies and define
the concept of “micro-apartment”
The definition of the term “micro-flat”and the
detection of the typological features of such a
dwelling have to exclude disagreements in the
understanding of the current term between the
researchers from the different countries
1st stage
Consider the modern prerequisites for the
demand for micro-apartments
The comfort of living in a micro-apartment is
influenced by its location within the city with
public spaces that “expand”the boundaries of
individual space and the presence of a developed
infrastructure
The choice of a micro-apartment depends on the
subjective preferences of the individual and his
lifestyle
To designate the probable social
categories of Almaty city dwellers who
prefer compact spaces
A micro-apartment is in demand for certain
categories of megalopolis residents (usually
single, small-family and young) for both
permanent and temporary, for a long period
residence compared to the hotel
2nd stage
To determine the “place”of a micro-
apartment in the existing typology of
urban dwellings
The introduction of a micro-apartment into the
existing typology of an urban multiapartment
dwelling will help to solve the problem of
temporary provision of the population with a
comfortable urban dwelling
Present the results of experimental design It is assumed that the presented pilot projects of
micro-apartments can become a prototype for
further design of urban housing for the city of
Almaty (provided that they are included in the
existing typology of urban housing)
Figure 3.
Structure of theoretical
research
ECAM
Thus, the study consisted of two stages. In the first stage, the concept of a micro-apartment
was reflected and the real research of such a dwelling applies to megacities and a change in a
person’s lifestyle. The second one is based on the findings of the first one and focuses
specifically on micro-apartment as potential modern housing for Almaty. Both stages differ
somewhat in the research methods used. It is worth noting that the collection of data
consisted, to a greater extent, not in the search for sources, but their objective selection, which
directly related to the purpose and objectives of the study. We reviewed 523 case studies and
online reviews examining micro-apartment and small apartments as urban housing.
A review of literary sources based on analysis, generalization and synthesis became the
main methods of the first stage. Doctoral and master’s theses, scientific articles from peer-
reviewed databases, and conference reports, affecting both the research topic and
interdisciplinary discourse were considered (on cyberleninka.ru,elibrary.ru,marhi.ru,
scholar.google.com,grin.com,jstor.org,papers.ssrn.com,researchgate.net and sciencedirect.
com). The main criterion for selecting sources was the typology of a micro-apartment, to
determine the boundaries of the study; the prerequisites for the modern residential
environment of the city –social, technical, economic and urban planning –made it possible to
determine the role of a micro-apartment in the life of a modern city dweller; the creation of
comfortable conditions is analyzed through an interdisciplinary discourse: analysis and
systematization of sources from the standpoint of design, the importance of public spaces, the
features of the location of the building, its volume-spatial solution and ownership of living
space, and the psychological comfort of living in a compact space. As the cited materials, we
selected those that most fully met the problems and goals of the article and helped to solve the
tasks. The method of induction of the first part determined the direction, the result of which
was the definition of the research concept.
The second part of the article –more specific, regarding the city of Almaty –is also based
on a literary review, but with the involvement of digital sources: statistical and analytical
reviews, newspaper and online magazine articles (forbes.kz,finprom.kz,informburo.kz,
fincenter.kz,kapital.kz,stat.gov.kz,tengrinews.kz,24.kz,zonakz.net,mir24.tv and dezeen.
com), which have become valuable sources of information about the current state of the
socioeconomic and housing sectors, the Republic of Kazakhstan and Almaty in particular,
and about the current trends in the area under consideration on a global scale. The direction
of the research of the second stage was based on the method of deduction and proceeded from
the concept of the first stage. The process from abstract to concrete consisted of four sections,
which reflected the conceptual position on the importance of micro-apartment for the city of
Almaty (in terms of the subjects, requirements and conditions of the dwelling in question).
Demonstration of pilot projects of micro-apartment for Almaty, which were created by the
method of graphic modeling, became the result of the current research.
4. Results/discussions
The micro-apartment is becoming a global trend in the urban housing market in the world.
However, it should serve not only as a place of residence but also remain comfortable for
living. A review of the sources made it possible to derive the following provisions regarding
the location, organization of space and the way of owning micro-apartment (Figure 4), which
can be applied to the city of Almaty.
4.1 Social categories of citizens who prefer compact housing
Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan, the cultural and economic center of the Republic,
with a population of almost two million. At present, the housing stock of the metropolis is
not fully designed for the temporary stay of a large number of single and small-family
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
citizens, and the purchase of an apartment does not always correspond to their lifestyle
and income.
Preferences can be caused by: a decrease in income (Elubavea, 2022); insufficient living
space and affordable rental housing (Antonov, 2021); the crisis in the housing market caused
by the COVID-19 pandemic (Galkina, 2021), and tenge instability (Tengrinews.kz., 2022);
rising prices for utilities in the metropolis; late marriage, or, conversely, the need for the first
place of residence for a young family without a child; moving and mobility of a modern
person, for whom the arrangement of living space is unprofitable; and the globalization of the
labor market “digital nomads”(Kuzheleva-Sagan and Spicheva, 2020). This can also include
the social prerequisites for the trend of living together, such as the ability to live among like-
minded people, which manifests itself in a greater degree of communication and a sense of
support, and security, where “people are in no hurry to become owners of real estate, choosing
the format of rental relations with housing, preferring convenience, lack of household routine
and responsibility for an asset, the availability of many convenient and high-quality services
“at hand”(Sannikova, 2021), and at the same time, the independence that a micro-apartment
will provide.
It has been noted, a micro-apartment, as a new type of urban dwelling, can become a house
of the choice of those people who are not tied to everyday life and consciously choose the
minimum but high-quality conditions which allow saving not only money on rent but also
time for cleaning the apartment. Conventionally, one can distinguish categories of citizens of
the city of Almaty for whom living in such a dwelling as a micro-apartment would be
preferable (Table 3).
The statistical data given in the table demonstrate the categories of people who do not
have a high income, who, in the conditions of a modern metropolis, are forced to live together
and, as a rule, in rented housing that is not always acceptable in terms of sanitary and
hygienic terms. The listed categories most of which are occupied by young people have a
certain way of life; the urban environment for them is a public space –an extension of the
apartment and mobility, communication have become an integral part of the way of life. As a
rule, these are people who are often absent from home, a micro-apartment for them will
mainly be a place of rest, hygiene and storage. Therefore, perhaps, the main areas of
preference for a micro-apartment may be cost savings, location in the city with a developed
infrastructure and the availability of basic, but individual amenities (bathrooms and
kitchens).
Figure 4.
Conceptual provisions
ECAM
4.2 Typological aspects
Basically, a micro-apartment is not a means of solving financial expenses and not the need to
relocate all citizens to compact living spaces –it is a modern version of housing that
corresponds to the lifestyle of certain categories of citizens and their conscious choice that can
take into account human preferences today. This is an option for a new typology of residential
buildings as rational type of dwelling located between apartments intended for permanent
residence and hotels, that is, a dwelling in which the properties of both one and the other are
observed (Figure 5).
The construction of houses where most of the apartments are small format makes it
possible to achieve only a temporary solution to the problem of overpopulation –in the future
such overcrowding threatens to inconvenience –both the residents themselves and the city as
a whole. As an option –the construction of residential complexes with necessarily rented cell
rooms and common spaces which, firstly, will help to resettle people, secondly, will “unload”
the apartments due to additional storage places outside the apartment and public spaces, and
thirdly, will facilitate communication and communication of resident’s complex. In this case,
the complex will be a “high-grade dwelling”and “have to meet improved life and comfort
standards”(Akhmedova, 2016). Such residential formations can arise in parallel with the
main dwelling in job or study places as well as business trips. The presence of such complexes
in a metropolitan environment can form a “highly urbanized living environment”
(Chernysheva, 2016) which is characterized by a high degree of “integration and
concentration of various functions”(Chernysheva, 2016).
4.3 Functional zoning of micro-apartment and modern ways of creating comfort
Undoubtedly, the interior arrangement of the micro-apartment is very important. It should be
based on a combination of functionality and comfort. Here it is important to take into account
not just the presence of certain functional areas, but also the organization of space depending
on the lifestyle of a modern person, his needs and psychology (Bunak, 2018). The functional
needs of a person can be conventionally presented in the form of Figure 6. The
conventionality in the definition in this case is associated with the individual way of life of
the person, for example, the presence of a number of things to be stored or the transformation
Probable categories of
citizens
Statistical data
Data Notes (time period) Reference
Young families 18,816 The marriages count (January–December
2021)
Finprom (2022)
Incomplete and single
families
1,985 The number of divorces (January–December
2021)
Nigrants 255,000 External workers on patents’invitations of
individuals (2021) Kazakhstan’s data
IOM (2020)
2,332 Local-arriving persons, daily (February
2021–February 2022)
Forbes.kz (2022)
Tourists, business
people and “digital
nomads”
737,263 Stayed at accommodations (January–
December 2020)
Websites of
government bodies
(2020)430,242 Placed in other places of residence (with
relatives, in a country house, in a rented
apartment) (January–December 2020)
Students 21,510
persons
Need about the student hostels (2020) Financial Center
(2020)
Young specialists 142,435
persons
Graduation from universities in Kazakhstan
(2020)
University of
Practical Knowledge
(2021)
Table 3.
Categories of citizens of
Almaty and reasons for
preferring a compact
dwelling
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
Figure 6.
Functional needs of
micro-apartment
dwellers
Figure 5.
Micro-apartment as an
element of the typology
of urban apartment
housing
ECAM
of the modern concept of “work”with which the development of modern technologies does
not always imply the presence of a separate space for its implementation.
The presence of the base zones in a dwelling affects a longer and more comfortable stay in
it. It has been noted, the micro-apartment actually consists of two spaces: a bathroom and a
living room, and the bathroom is combined and the room includes all the necessary zones.
Personal spaces are mainly for sleeping and resting, storing personal belongings and
possibly work. Achieving comfort in such a compact space is possible with the help of a
design thought out to the smallest detail: from finding a harmonious connection between the
various elements of the interior space. It can be achieved with the help of furniture which is
either transformable or is designed to perform different functions depending on the time and
occupation of the resident: the dining table can be transferred into the cooking area –
workplace –hobby area.
Episodic and periodic needs should, if possible, be taken out into shared spaces located in
the building itself or nearby, without ignoring them at all; otherwise they will later arise inside
the apartments. Such public spaces can be laundry, a sports or fitness room, a common room
for holding parties or receiving guests or a mini-cinema; for children –a playroom; and for the
elderly –a winter garden on the terrace or roof of the building. An expanded range of
functional areas for collective use will provide the necessary spaces that are not available due
to the compact area (Urban Land Institute, 2015). The sphere of consumer services (care and
repair of clothes and cleaning of premises) may also become in demand.
Comfort today is not limited only to the presence of individual space of compact
dimensions. It “goes”beyond the limits of personal zones, and it forms a stable demand for the
urban environment as a whole (Potikyan, 2017).
4.4 Modern micro-apartment for Almaty
As a variant of the architectural and planning solution of the micro-apartment, the premises
of the “studio”format were chosen. Apartments’cells of the “studio”assume more free space
which contributes to greater comfort of living due to good lighting and the possibility of
variable zoning.
Public spaces can be located within the structure of a building, and they can be used by all
residents or they can be located within walking distance of the building. It should be noted
that the tasks of experimental design did not apply to the layout of cells in the building
structure, within the floor. It is not excluded that a variety of micro-apartment formats can be
achieved by, for example, the possibility of combining them according to the coliving
principle.
(1) The first version of a micro-apartment (Figure 7) with a total area of ten square meters
and a room height of 2.8 m is in the “studio”format. In the entrance area there is a
wardrobe and a reclining chair to the right of the entrance. Further –there is a kitchen
niche with a refrigerator, a hob and a sink. To the opposite is a dining area with a chair
Figure 7.
The first version of a
micro-apartment: (a)
planning solution and
(b-c) interiors of a
micro-apartment for
one person
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
that can serve as a writing desk and a TV viewing area located on the opposite wall
above the bed. Storage places –bedside chest of drawers, mezzanines, hanging
cabinets and shelving in the bathroom. The bathroom, with an area of 1.92 m
2
accommodates a sit-down bath and a toilet. It is possible to place plumbing equipment
(a washbasin with a toilet bowl) as in Japanese apartments. In order to save space –
there is a lavatory wall made of frosted glass with a sliding compartment door made
of the same material. There is a floor surface in one level, without height difference.
This apartment assumes the residence of one person, possibly an elderly one.
(2) The second option (Figure 8) of the solution of a micro-apartment with a total area of
10.80 m
2
can be offered for two people (single-parent family with a child). In case of the
floor level has different levels, it can give us possible to create additional storage
space under the catwalk. Also, storage places –in the entrance area –a hanger and a
wardrobe, a niche above the bathroom; in the kitchen –wall cabinets and shelves; in
the bathroom area –a chest of drawers; and in the sleeping area –drawers under the
bed. On the “upper”level, by the window, there is a kitchen niche with a minimum set
of equipment and a workplace; on the lower level there is a dining area and a TV
viewing area –a sleeping place. The second berth is a convertible niche bed like in a
train compartment. The bathroom is combined with a shower. The door –“accordion”
will save the space of the bathroom and entrance areas.
(3) The total area of the next studio example (Figure 9) is an apartment of 10.7 m
2
.Itis
located on one level, and it can accommodate a couple without children. The entrance
area accommodates a wardrobe, coat rack, mirror and shoe rack. To the right of the
entrance there is a bathroom (2.06 m
2
) with a sit-down bath, toilet and sink. The door –
“garmoshka”will diversify and save space. The kitchen area is represented by a niche
kitchen that includes a hob, an oven, a mini fridge, a sink (under a single worktop) and
hanging storage cabinets. The space of the living area can be divided into daytime
and nighttime with the help of transformable furniture –a table (aka dining table)
Figure 8.
The second option of a
micro-apartment: (a)
planning solution and
(b-c) interior of a micro-
apartment for two
people
Figure 9.
The third option for a
micro-apartment (for a
couple): planning
solution (a) during the
day; (b) at night; and (c
and d) the interiors of
the micro-apartment
ECAM
which is supposed to be folded for the night and a double bed. During the day it tidies
into the niche behind the sofa. A pull-out wardrobe is located between the sofa and the
wall. There are open and closed mezzanines for additional storage space.
In the proposed variants of the pilot project of micro-apartment for Almaty, the emphasis is
placed on the need to introduce public functional zones into a residential building and to
transfer some functions (of an episodic and periodic nature) outside the residential
personal space.
It can be noted that the comfort of the presented models of experimental design is achieved
through a thoughtful design of the interior space of apartments. Completion of the
compactness of the area was achieved through the use of transformable and built-in furniture,
the use of sliding and folding doors, the organization of storage areas, zoning of space by time
of the day and delimitation by floor height difference. Not unimportant attention was paid to
ergonomic parameters and psychological characteristics of perception, which was reflected in
the placement of equipment, the proportions of the room, the inclusion of light shades of color,
mirror surfaces and light accents in the development of the interior. Thus, a compact, well
thought-out and rationally organized compact apartment can be a comfortable place to live. A
comprehensive solution to the problem of modern urban housing (Krasnov, 2018;Elhegazy
et al., 2021), taking into account socioeconomic prerequisites and expanding the existing
typology, will be reflected in the creation of a comfortable living space, where every
centimeter of the area is thought out, which will question of the modern city. The inclusion of
a micro-apartment in the typology and the construction of complexes with compact
apartments and public spaces in real life will help solve a number of problems in the city of
Almaty. Social is expressed in providing a comfortable place to live in a metropolis and
creating the prerequisites for communication between residents, and maintaining good
neighborly relations. Economic problems that are related to the costs of temporary residence
(utilities and, arrangement of a place of residence) are resolved by the potential residents (and
these costs are less compared to the big flats). And the state resolves the problem of living
space for the citizens by providing a compact but comfortable home. Also here it should be
said about saving time, which also plays an important role for a modern person, and is
manifested in the placement of a wide range of services within walking distance.
Demographic, which is more related to young families, allow them to live independently of
their parents and save money on a full-fledged apartment. It is hoped that this study will be
the beginning of an interdisciplinary dialogue on the need and demand for such temporary
urban housing as a micro-apartment in Almaty, and will also serve as the basis for future
consideration from the side of economic feasibility, the identification of the most rational
projects and will certainly be embodied in construction.
5. Conclusions
Every year a large number of people come to the cities of Kazakhstan: students, migrants and
specialists –these are, as a rule, young people who are attracted to the cities by the study,
work and the search for a new “better life”. In addition, a rapidly growing population and a
shortage of housing in urban areas are forcing many people to adjust their ideals in
accordance with low incomes, and therefore it is not surprising that small housing is in
demand. The “micro”formats in a modern city are not at all associated with loneliness as a
social problem –it is rather a choice, a conscious preference, philosophy of life of a modern
person in which communication is successfully compensated by the location of the building,
public spaces and, often, modern technologies.
The desk study that was carried out identified a potentially positive direction based on the
addition of a micro-apartment is a new type of dwelling to the existing typology. It is possible
to create comfortable conditions for temporary residence in a micro-apartment if the choice of
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
a compact dwelling corresponds to the internal philosophy of a person, and the organization
of the environment implies the division of functions into basic, episodic and periodic with the
mandatory inclusion of specialists in the design, which will allow in the future to conduct
deeper research by specialists in various fields of knowledge since. The obtained studies
contribute to the development of scientific ideas about the concept of “micro-apartment”, and
the features of its architectural and planning organization. A visual representation of a micro-
apartment, presented in experimental projects, gives an idea that a compact city dwelling can
also be made comfortable for living, given the ergonomic requirements and psychological
characteristics of human perception, having thoroughly thought through the design of the
premises, including transformable and built-in furniture, providing the necessary storage
places. The presented experimental projects and the identified relationships between the
modern lifestyle and the preferences for a compact but comfortable home open up new
vectors in search of a solution to the problem of providing housing for the numerous citizens
of Almaty.
Further studies can be aimed at the enlargement of micro-apartment types and their
layout in the groups according to their economic, social and psychological adaptation to
living in such compact spaces, as well as the possibility of studying a small-sized dwelling
regarding the placement and organization of cells and public spaces in the structure of a
residential building.
References
Akhmedova, A. (2016), “Conceptions about the comfortable components of dwellings in Kazakhstan”,
International Conference on Social Sciences and Art, SGEM Vienna HOFBURG, 6-9 April, doi:
10.5593/SGEMSOCIAL2016/HB42/S07.024.
Akhmedova, A. and Posocco, P. (2020), Kazakhstan. Soviet and Contemporary Architecture
»
, Kazakh
Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Kazgasa/ICE), Almaty, Kazakhstan/
DiAP nel mondo jDiAP in the world, International Vision jVisioni internazionali –, Rome,
pp. 241-259, doi: 10.13133/9788893771306.
Al-Yakoob, D., Zairin, Z. and Valentinus, P. (2021), “Micro-apartment in pontianak”,JMARS: Jurnal
Mosaik Arsitektur, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 258-269, S. l, doi: 10.26418/jmars.v9i1.45133.
Antonov, S. (2021), “Chto budet s arendoy zhilʹya v Kazakhstane vesnoy, rasskazali eksperty [What
will happen to rental housing in Kazakhstan in the spring, experts said]”, tengrinews.kz,
available at: https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/budet-arendoy-jilya-kazahstane-vesnoy-
rasskazali-ekspertyi-462791/ (accessed 10 July 2022).
Arshkenova, A.N. (2020), “The current state of the real estate market in large cities of the Republic of
Kazakhsta”,Online Scientific Journal Age of Quality No. 1, pp. 96-106.
Brown, M.J. (2014), “Accessory dwelling units in Portland, Oregon: evaluation and interpretation of a
survey of ADU owners”, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland.
Bunak, D. (2018), “Alternative housing: a litmus test and a tool for social sustainability”, Doctoral
dissertation, Tampere University, Finland, available at: https://trepo.tuni.fi//handle/
123456789/26732.
Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of
Kazakhstan (2022), available at: https://stat.gov.kz/ (accessed 20 April 2022).
Chernysheva, I.V. (2016), “Malogabaritnoye zhil’ye ‘kak novyy tipologicheskiy element v strukture
zhilogo komleksa’[Small-sized housing ‘as a new typological element in the structure of a
residential complex’]”,Traditsii I Innovatsii V Stroitel’stve I Arkhitekture. Arkhitektura I Dizayn,
Vol. 2016, pp. 140-144, available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id525812352.
Clinton, E. (2018), “Micro-living: why occupants choose to live in very small dwellings?”,Australian
Planner, Vol. 55 Nos 3-4, pp. 189-197, doi: 10.1080/07293682.2019.1632363.
ECAM
Das, I. and Dash, S.P. (2020), “Feasibility of incorporating open spaces in the design of micro-
apartments in residential environments”,PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology,
Vol. 17 No. 9, pp. 6915-6939.
Demographic Statistics of Kazakhstan (2022), “Naselelie Kazakhstana. Online statistika naseleniya
[Population of Kazakhstan. Online population statistics]”, FindHow.org, available at: https://
findhow.org/2649-onlayn-schetchik-chislennosti-naseleniya-kazahstana.html (accessed 19
July 2022).
Elhegazy, H., Ebid, A., Mahdi, I., Haggag, S. and Abdul-Rashied, I. (2021), “Implementing QFD in
decision making for selecting the optimal structural system for buildings”,Construction
Innovation, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 345-360, doi: 10.1108/CI-12-2019-0149.
Elubaeva, A. (2022), “Minnatsekonomiki namerenno k 2025 godu snizit uroven’inflyatsii do 3-4%,
[Ministry of National Economy intends to reduce inflation to 3-4% by 2025]”,Capitals: The
Centr of the Professional Information, available at: https://kapital.kz/economic/102901/
minnats-ekonomiki-namereno-k-2025-godu-snizit-uroven-inflyatsii-do-3-4.html (accessed 5
May 2022).
Eremicheva, V.G. (2018), Sotsialʹnoye prostranstvo bolʹshogo goroda [Social Space of the Big City], St.-
Petersburg, Siran, doi: 10.19181/monograph.2019.
Ergaliev, T. (2020), “Ideya obespecheniya zhil’yem kazhdogo Kazakhstantsa dolzhna stat’
natsional’noy”, The idea of providing housing for every citizen of Kazakhstan should
become national, Forbes, Kazakhstan, available at: https://forbes.kz/process/property/talgat_
ergaliev_ideya_obespecheniya_jilem_kajdogo_kazahstantsa_doljna_stat_natsionalnoy/
(accessed 8 May 2021).
Financial Center (2020), “Stroitelstvo i reconstruktsia ctudentcheskih obshezhitii”, Construction and
reconstruction of student dormitories, Ministry of the Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
available at: https://studdom.fincenter.kz/#result (accessed 6 May 2022).
Finprom (2022), “Lubov v bolshom gorode: 13 iz 100 brakov v RK registriruensya v Almaty”,[Love in
the big city: 13 out of 100 marriages in Kazakhstan are registered in Almaty, available at:
https://finprom.kz/ru/article/lyubov-v-bolshom-gorode-13-iz-100-brakov-v-rk-reg"striruyutsya-
v-almaty (accessed 06 May 2022).
Forbes.kz (2022), “Skolʹko v Kazakhstane kazakhstantsev [How many Kazakhs are there in
Kazakhstan]”, available at: https://forbes.kz/stats/v_byuro_natsstatistiki_podschitali_
naskolko_uvelichilos_chislo_kazahstantsev_za_god/ (accessed 10 July 2022).
Galkina, I. (2021), “Est’li ‘huzyr’na rynke nedvizhemosti?”, Is there a real estate ‘bubble’?, ZONAkz,
available at: https://zonakz.net/2021/09/01/est-li-puzyr-na-rynke-nedvizhimosti/ (accessed 6
May 2022).
Galyautdinova, E.N. and Milova, N.P. (2020), “Vliyaniye tsveta na vizual’noye vospriyatiye
prostranstva malogabaritnoy kvartiry”, The influence of color on the visual perception of
the space of a small apartment, Globus, Vol. 5 No. 51, pp. 5-10.
Gareev, I.F., Nafikova, L.R. and Lantsova, T.E. (2017), “Creation of the organized rental housing
market: selection of the building site and identification of the target audience”,Russian Journal
of Entrepreneurship, Vol. 18 No. 23, pp. 3925-3938.
Gazdag, N. and Torleg
ard, A. (2018), “Micro apartments - a potential solution for the severe shortage
of small affordable apartments in stockholm»degree project real estate and construction
management real estate and building economics master of science”, Stockholm.
Geffner, T. (2018), “Towards a smaller housing paradigm: a literature review of accessory dwelling
units and micro apartments”, University Honors, Theses. Paper 515, doi: 10.15760/
honors.520.
Generalov, V.P. (2014),Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction SciencesRound Table
«
Modern
Minimalistic Mass Dwelling, Academia. Architecture and Construction, No. 4, pp. 123-130, available
at: http://www.raasn.ru/public/academia_2014_4.pdf (accessed 15 May 2021).
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
Generalov, V.P., Petrova, E.A. and Chernysheva, I.V. (2016), “Mini-zhil’ye kak tipologicheskiy element
zhiloy yacheyki”, Mini-housing as a typological element of a residential unit, Traditsii I
Innovatsii V Stroitel’stve I Arkhitekture. Arkhitektura I Dizayn, pp. 74-79.
Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2019), “Postanovleniye Pravitel’stva Respubliki
Kazakhstan ot 31 dekabrya 2019 goda Nº-1054 Ob utverzhdenii Gosudarstvennoy
programmy zhilishchno-kommunal’nogo razvitiya «Nұrly zher»na 2020-2025 gody”, Decree
of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated December 31, 2019 No. 1054 On
approval of the State program of housing and communal development’Nurly Zher ‘for 2020-
2025’, available at: https://online.zakon.kz/document/?doc_id539384639#pos55(accessed 15
December 2021).
Hoang, M. and Vandal, A. (2017), “Micro-MACRO living in the global high-rise”,CTBUH Journal
No. 3, pp. 32-37.
Holert, J. and Peskes, M. (2019), Chancen und Risiken von seriellem und modularem Bauen am Beispiel
des Segments Mikro-Apartments als neuen Trend der Immobilienwirtschaft, NBS Northern
Business School University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, available at: http://hdl.handle.net/
10419/202545 (accessed 23 July 2021).
Hollwich, M. (2016), New Aging: Live Smarter Now to Live Better Forever, Kindle Edition, Penguin
Books, London.
Hwang, C.C.P. and Rossini, F. (2018), “Dwelling in an influx city - placemaking through collective
housing”, in Graham, C. and Day, K. (Eds), Global Dimensions in Housing: Approaches in Design
and Theory from Europe to the Pacific Rim, Libri Publishing, Oxford, pp. 131-142.
Iglesias, T. (2014), “The promises and pitfalls of micro-housing”, Zoning and Planning Law Report
37.10 (2014): 1-12, Univ. of San Francisco Law Research Paper No. 2015-02, available at: https://
ssrn.com/abstract52536192 (accessed 24 May 2021).
IOM (2020), “Kazakhstan: rasshirennyy migratsionnyy profil’2014-2019”, Kazakhstan: Extended
Migration Profile 2014-2019, Mission of the International Organization for Migration in
Kazakhstan, Sub-regional coordination office for Central Asia, Almaty, available at: https://
publications.iom.int/books/kazahkstan-advanced-migration-profile-2014-2019-russian (accessed
06 May 2022).
James, R. (2008), “Residential satisfaction of elderly tenants in apartment housing”,Social Indicators
Research, Vol. 89, pp. 421-437, doi: 10.1007/s11205-008-9241-8.
Karatseyeva, T. and Akhmedova, A. (2021), “Transformatsii sovremennogo zhilishcha v megapolisakh
Kazakhstana (na primere Almaty i Nur-Sultana)”, Transformations of modern housing in the
megalopolises of Kazakhstan (on the example of Almaty and Nur-Sultan)], VI International
Scientific-Practical Conference,Regional Academy of Management, Daejeon, pp. 333-340.
Klinenberg, E. (2013), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone,
Penguin Books.
Korkiya, E.D. (2020), “The phenomenon of social loneliness in online learning culture”,Gumanitarnyye,
Sotsial’no-Ekonomicheskiye I Obshchestvennyye Nauki, Nos 12-1, doi: 10.23672/l1142-1217-9355-q.
Krasnov, R.L. (2018), “Problems of small-sized housing and ways of their solution”,International
Journal of Humanities and Natural Sciences, Nos 12-2, doi: 10.24411/2500-1000-2018-10408.
Kuzheleva-Sagan, I.P. and Spicheva, D.I. (2020), “The phenomenon of digital nomadism in the modern
interdisciplinary discourse”,Tomsk State University Journal, No. 454, pp. 72-87, doi: 10.17223/
15617793/454/9.
Leptyukhova, P. and Bibartseva, D. (2020), “Organization of residential areas focused on walking and
using low-speed individual vehicles”,Ekologiya Urbanizirovannykh Territoriy, No. 2, doi: 10.
24411/1816-1863-2020-12100.
Lok
о
va, M.Yu., Khanova, M.N. and Zakhokhova, M.R. (2021), “The phenomenon of loneliness among
young people”,Izvestiya Vuzov Severo-Kavkazskii Region Social Science, Vol. 1 No. 209, pp. 8-12,
doi: 10.18522/2687-0770-2021-1-8-12.
ECAM
Luca, M., Shoup, D., Renn, A.M., Armlovich, A., Liebman, J.B. and Azemati, H. (2016), Retooling
Metropolis How Social Media, Markets, and Regulatory Innovation Can Make America’s Cities
More Liveable, Manhattan Institute, New York.
Mamaeva, O. (2019), “Na 20 kvadratnykh metrakh: kto i zachem pokupayet malen’kiye kvartiry”, [On
20 square meters: who buys small apartments and why], available at: https://realty.rbc.ru/news/
5ddf856b9a7947a9e6c24a15 (accessed 5 May 2021).
Murat, A. (2020), Arendnoye Zhil’ye Dlya Molodezhi: 9 Tysyach Kvartir Planiruyetsya Vydelit’Do 2021
Goda, [Rental housing for youth: 9 thousand apartments are planned to be allocated until 2021],
Kazinform, available at: https://www.inform.kz/ru/arendnoe-zhil-e-dlya-molodezhi-9-tysyach-
kvartir-planiruetsya-vydelit-do-2021-goda_a3715057 (accessed 3 July 2021).
Nasyrova, F.S. (2020), “Vertical farms in residential building projects designed by modern
architectural bureaus”,Nauka, Obrazovaniye I Eksperimental’noye Proyektirovaniye, No. 1,
pp. 394-398, doi: 10.24411/9999-034A-2020-10099.
Nikolaev, S.V. (2013), Panel’nyye I Karkasnyye Zdaniya Novogo Pokoleniya, [New generation panel and
frame buildings], Zhilishchnoe Stroitel’stvo (housing construction), pp. 2-9.8.
Panchal, Y. (2018), “Developing housing for a changing demography. Analyzing the implications of
the regulations governing the development of small-housing units”, Abstract of Ph.D.
dissertation, Columbia University. doi: 10.7916/D8DN5NKP.
Permyakov, M.B. and Krasnova, T.V. (2021), “Creating a comfortable environment in small-scale
apartments”,International Research Journal, Vol. 1 No. 103, pp. 165-169, doi: 10.23670/IRJ.2021.
103.1.025.
Ponomarev, A.B. and Pikuleva, E.A. (2014), Metodologia Nauchnyh Issledovaniy: Uchebnoe Posobie,
Methodology of scientific research: textbook, Penm’, PNIPU.
Potienko, N.D. (2017), “Rental Housing as a socio-architectural experiment”,Urban Construction and
Architecture, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 113-116, doi: 10.17673/Vestnik.2017.03.19.
Potikyan, M. (2017), “Advantages and opportunities of developing and investing in micro-units”,
Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, available at: http://hdl.handle.net/
1721.1/108883.
Rack, F. (2016), Micro-Apartments as an Emerging Real Estate Market, GRIN Verlag, Munich.
Roely, R. (2017), “Affordable housing in Amsterdam, micro apartments for the new urbanites”, Master
thesis, Delft University of Technology, available at: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e811b593-
5aca-4d65-b542-f36541de5944 (accessed 20 July 2021).
Sannikova, M. (2021), “‘Kto snova ne vymyl chashku?!’: chto takoe koliving i chem on otlichaetsya ot
komunal’noi kvartiry”,[‘Who didn’t wash the cup again?!’: what is coliving and how does it
differ from a communal apartment?], 24 Mir; available at: https://mir24.tv/articles/16455565/kto-
opyat-ne-vymyl-chashku-chto-takoe-koliving-i-chem-on-otlichaetsya-ot-kommunalki (accessed
06 May 2022).
Satsuk, N.V., Chalkina, A.A., Kolbnev, A.A.S. and Kuzina, D.V. (2020), “Crisis of ideas about family
values among modern youth”,Universum: Psikhologiya I Obrazovaniye, Vol. 7 No. 73, pp. 23-27.
Shlyakov, A. (2020), “The phenomen of nomadism in Russian reality”,Vestnik Chelyabinskogo
Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta, Vol. 4 No. 438, pp. 53-59, doi: 10.24411/1994-2796-2020-
10408BBL87.6.
Shore, Z. (2014), The Case for Micro-apartment Housing in Growing Urban Centers, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real
Estate, available at: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/87610 (accessed 26 July 2021).
Simpson, D. (2015), Young-Old. Urban Utopias of an Aging Society, Lars Muller Publishers, Zurich.
Sinyakova, A. (2020), “South Korea: singles change consumer demand”,Vostochnaya Aziya: Proshloye,
Nastoyashcheye, Budushcheye, Vol. 7, pp. 267-274, doi: 10.24411/9999-043A-2020-10029.
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
Sorokina, V.N. (2017), “Dizayn malogabaritnogo zhil’ya kak sredstvo formirovaniya lichnogo
prostranstva dlya komfortnogo prozhivaniya v gorodskoy srede”, Design of small-sized
housing as a means of forming personal space for comfortable living in an urban environment,
Safety of the urban environment: IV Intern. scientific-practical conf., Omsk, OmSTU, November
16-18, 2016, pp. 296-298, Omsk: OmSTU, available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?
id528783989&pf51(accessed 23 July 2021).
Soub, N.M.H. (2018), “Mikro dairelerde mekanlarin b€
uy€
ut€
ulmesi: ankara’da yas
¸ayan t€
urklerin ve
libyalilarin algisi. yayimlanmamis
¸y€
uksek lisans tezi”, Maximizing spaces in micro apartments:
Perception of Turkish and Libyan people living in Ankara, Çankaya €
Universitesi Fen Bilimleri
Enstit€
us€
u, Ankara, available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12416/2036 (accessed 20 June 2021).
Tengrinews.kz (2022), V Kazakstane Rekordno Podorozhalo Vtorichnoe Zhilie, [Secondary housing
prices have risen to a record high in Kazakhstan], Tengrinews.kz., available at: https://
tengrinews.kz/buildings/v-kazahstane-rekordno-podorojalo-vtorichnoe-jile-463932/ (accessed
6 May 2022).
Tervo, A. and Hirvonen, J. (2020), “Solo dwellers and domestic spatial needs in the Helsinki
Metropolitan Area”,Finland, Housing Studies, Vol. 35 No. 7, pp. 1194-1213, doi: 10.1080/
02673037.2019.1652251.
The deputy’s proposal for the construction of hostels (2017), “Kazakhstan Today”, available at: www.
kt.kz (accessed 19 July 2021).
Troyan, N. (2020), “Russian trends of forming a residential environment for elderly people”,Architecture
and Modern InformationTechnologies, Vol. 1 No. 50, pp. 109-117,d oi:10.24411/1998-4839-2020-15007.
Tsui, S. (2019), “Why more young people are opting for Co-living spaces in Hong Kong –and it’s not
just for cheap housing”, available at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/
2187375/why-more-young-people-are-opting-co-living-spaces-hong-kong (accessed at:accessed
11 May 2021).
TV channel “Khabar 24”(2021), “The population of Kazakhstan has increased by 245 thousand over
the year”,availableat:https://24.kz/ru/news/social/item/455098-chislennost-naseleniya-
kazakhstana-uvelichilas-za-god-na-245-tysyach (accessed 13 May 2021).
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (2018), “Natsional’nyye obzory
zhilishchnogo khozyaystva respublika Kazakhstan”, National Housing Surveys of the
Republic of Kazakhstan, Geneva.
University of Practical Knowledge (2021), “V Kazakhstane uvelichelos’kolitchestvo studentov v
2020”, The number of students increased in Kazakhstan 2020, UPK, available at: https://uib.edu.
kz/blog_posts/v-kazahstane-uvelichilos-kolichestvo-studentov/ (accessed 30 April 2022).
Urban Land Institute (2015), The Macro View on Micro Units 2015, The Urban Land Institute
Multifamily Housing Council, available at: https://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ULI-Documents/
MicroUnit_full_rev_2015.pdf (accessed 6 May 2022).
Van Doorn, L., Arnold, A. and Rapoport, E. (2019), “In the age of cities: the impact of urbanisation on
house prices and affordability”, in Nijskens, R., Lohuis, M., Hilbers, P. and Heeringa, W. (Eds),
Hot Property, Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-11674-3_1.
Verdodo, Archive (2020), “People in the EU - statistics on household and family structures”, Statistics
Explained, availableat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title5People_
in_the_EU_%E2%80%93_statistics_on_household_and_family_structures&oldid5375234
(accessed 17 May 2021).
Waite, R. (2015), “Micro-homes: part of the solution or part of the problem?”,Architects Journal,
available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/micro-homes-part-ofthe-solution-or-part-
of-the-problem/8675105.article (accessed 14 May 2021).
Websites of government bodies (2020), “Bureau of national Statistics of the agency for strategic
planning and Reforms of the republic of Kazakhstan”, available at: https://www.gov.kz/
memleket/entities/stat?lang5en (accessed 6 May 2022).
ECAM
World Health Organization (2018), in Stone, V. (Ed.), WHO Housing and Health Guidelines, Geneva,
available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/276001/9789241550376-eng.pdf
(accessed 5 May 2022).
Yembergenova, D., Akhmedova, A. and Abikeeva, G. (2020), “Reflection of social conflict of
Kazakhstan of the 90s of the 20th century by visualizing spatial models in the film directed by
darezen Omirbaev”,Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, Vol. 12 No. 2,
doi: 10.21659/rupkatha.v12n2.19.
Zharkeeva, D.V. (2019), “Almaty rabotayushchey molodozhi vruchili klyuchi ot arendnykh kvartir,
informBYURO”, [Almaty working youth were handed the keys to rental apartments,
informBURO], available at: https://informburo.kz/novosti/v-almaty-rabotayushchey-
molodyozhi-vruchili-klyuchi-ot-arendnyh-kvartir.html (accessed 13 July 2021).
Corresponding author
Tatsiana Karatseyeva can be contacted at: notera1983@mail.ru
For instructions on how to order reprints of this article, please visit our website:
www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/licensing/reprints.htm
Or contact us for further details: permissions@emeraldinsight.com
Almaty and
micro-
apartment
architecture
