Sleep on it: the $700 San Francisco ‘pod’ with privacy curtains and charging ports

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/31/san-francisco-sleeping-pods-affordable-housing-crisis

This is not dystopian at all, is it? Humans sleeping in pods. I guess it beats homelessness but this seems like a fail on epical levels (unless profits for these pod companies are what we care about).

58 points · 20 comments · view on lemmy.world

20 Comments

recursive_recursion@lemmy.ca · 36 pts · 1y (3 replies)

I dunno, $700/month for a shitbox doesn't seem like a good deal, sleeping in the car sounds far more reasonable at this point unfortunately

Dkarma@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y (1 reply)

This is the same as renting a room in a house with probably more security and amenities also extremely close to your life activities. Sounds like a steal for the bay area tbh.

hector@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 1y
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sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 4 pts · 1y
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sxan@midwest.social · 22 pts · 1y (4 replies)

This has been a thing in Japan for a while.

But $700 per what? Month? That's insanely high everywhere but SF. You can't get an in-city anything for $700/m.

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 9 pts · 1y
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DevastatedBunghole@lemmynsfw.com · 4 pts · 1y

My mortgage in UK for three bed terraced is £600pcm

Dkarma@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Rent in those cities for a 1 or 2 br apartment is probably 5k -7k

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 1 pts · 1y
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Telorand@reddthat.com · 6 pts · 1y (17 replies)

I dunno. These kinds of solutions might seem weird to someone used to having an entire apartment, but these kinds of living spaces are common in places like Japan.

And $700 is a lot to someone living in a LCoL area, but given that San Fran is a HCoL area, probably reasonably priced in that relative context.

Fuzzy_Red_Panda@lemm.ee · 12 pts · 1y (1 reply)

I'm not picking on you, but the comparison to Japan when I read about things like this makes me very uncomfortable. I don't care that some people in Japan are comfortable staying in these things; I never want someone thinking this is acceptable for me to stay in. I don't want living in a box this small to be socially acceptable. This is being pushed on people as the new normal instead of a motel or possibly an apartment and it feels dystopian. My standards for me and everyone else are higher than this.

Telorand@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 1y

As I commented further down, I don't know if I would consider this an overall good thing. Is it better than being homeless? Yes. Is it better than a motel? Probably also yes.

Is it a good long-term solution? I don't know that I can say either way, honestly. It doesn't seem like a good long-term solution, but I have a lot of privilege, and perhaps my paradigm is biased.

And if something like this allows somebody to get on their feet, then maybe it's bad long-term but good in the short-term. I brought up Japan not to say, "This works, because look at Japan," but to point out that the "Western Ideal" isn't the only solution, and we shouldn't let cultural bias prevent consideration of other options or ideas.

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 10 pts · 1y (14 replies)
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Telorand@reddthat.com · 7 pts · 1y (4 replies)

What fucking adult wants to live like this

I dunno. I would, if I had few possessions. Is it a lot? No idea. Most Americans dream of a big house, but some downgrade to vans or tiny homes with limited space like this.

why is the state and "capitalism" not solving the housing issue?

State: because it's complicated and would likely involve some ugly, legal fights, even if it's the right thing to do.

Capitalism: because charity is antithetical to capitalism.

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 0 pts · 1y (3 replies)
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Telorand@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 1y (2 replies)

People should just leave, that's the really the only way to deal with a shiti merchant.

If you have the means to leave. The idea that anyone can "just leave" speaks to a level of privilege I'm not sure you're aware you have (and I don't mean that as a jab at you). Moving is costly, even if you're talking about doing it 100% yourself, whether that means money, sweat, or opportunity costs.

Do I think this merchant is capitalizing on the poor? Yes. Is this better than being homeless? Yes. Even if this is temporary and allows you to get on your feet, the end result is that you'll have gotten on your feet.

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 1 pts · 1y (1 reply)
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Telorand@reddthat.com · 2 pts · 1y

I don't see it as a solution, and I think that's why you're looking at it pessimistically while I have a slightly more neutral outlook. This company isn't trying to solve homelessness, they're trying to capitalize upon it.

It's better than being homeless, but I dunno if it's a good solution; I also recognize that I'm not smart enough to figure out how to improve upon an idea like this.

I'll leave that to the smarties elsewhere.

1984@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 1y (1 reply)

This is how I feel also. This is life for a person? I think it makes zero sense that anyone is fine with this being their life...

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 1 pts · 1y
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Dkarma@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y (1 reply)

This is perfect for students.

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 4 pts · 1y
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Anticorp@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 1y (4 replies)

What fucking adult wants to live like this

I see a lot of people on Lemmy frequently talking about high density housing like this as if it's the best thing ever.

lud@lemm.ee · 6 pts · 1y (3 replies)

No, people are talking about apartments and multi family homes, not this.

Single family detached housing sprawl is bad for many reasons, which I won't bring up here but one reason is access to services.

Dkarma@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 1y (2 replies)

This is the same thing as an apartment.

Get a clue. This is the high density living you're asking for.

lud@lemm.ee · 4 pts · 1y

No? This is a "pod".

Apartments at minimum have a floor.

sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 1 pts · 1y
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JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl · 5 pts · 1y (1 reply)

What the actual fuck.

These aren't even well made compared to Japanese pods which have been a thing for a while.

These look like painted plywood with a curtain. Changing this space into "pods" probably cost a whopping 20k for an extra what? 35k per month income?

1 person with sleep apnea moves in? The entire shared buckbed barracks of 50 people luxury pod will be kept awake every night for the forseeable future.

Seriously? 700 per month with 0 soundproofing at all and a curtain instead of a door? There will quickly be quite a few SA cases and theft cases here I imagine.

1984@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 1y

It's absolutely horrible yeah. This is 2024. Is this the future people were thinking we would have...

nicerdicer@feddit.org · 3 pts · 1y

Worst part of this is that there is a demand. There are 20 people applying for one mattress sleeping pod (name everything as "pod" and it sounds futuristic and elite). How is this place ventilated? Can you imagine the unbeareable stench the tenants emit while dwelling there? No wonder it violates city codes. The "privacy curtain" is a joke, you can't leave your stuff there unattended. It will get stolen in no time. It's like staying in a youth hostel.