One of the most affordable ways to increase housing is to increase density.  One way this trend is playing out is through adults sharing apartments.  The Los Angeles Times article discusses the growing phenomena of “doubling up”.

Economists at Zillow crunched U.S. census numbers and found that 47.9% of adults in metro L.A. lived in “doubled-up” households in 2012, a number that has grown rapidly — up from 41.2% in 2000 — as the recession and yo-yo-ing housing market have pushed more people to share apartments.

“You’ve got a lot of households that are blending together,” said Zillow economist Skylar Olsen. “They’re doing that to make housing more affordable.”

Most adults require their own room.  Adults share two, three, and even four bedrooms apartments.   Many older apartments are large enough to be redesigned to add extra bedrooms.  The major impediment is parking as most buildings cannot add parking to accommodate the extra bedroom.

You can read the LA Times Article Below:

Nearly half of Los Angeles adults double up on housing, study finds – LA Times.