For the more extreme, smaller houses mean tiny houses, those around one hundred square feet or less. While these may function more as vacation homes that allow people to live outdoors rather than in, some people are making these small spaces their home.
Some cities are even putting caps and limits on big building. For instance in Austin, Texas, houses built on existing lots cannot be over 20 percent larger than the existing structure. In Marin County, California, there is an ordinance that limits the amount of net energy a house uses, so bigger homes are required to offset energy consumption with solar panels.
Small and Friendly
Cars and homes may be the most obvious harbingers of the shift to small, but grocery stores are also making the shift.
Some retailers are trying out smaller, more efficient stores; Safeway, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods Market are all opening—or considering opening—downsized stores.
The shift coincides with consumers demand for more quality, locally grown food, and a backlash against the mega complexes that have been built in the last decade.
Offering fewer choices but higher quality is trademark of many small markets, and places like Trader Joe’s have been hugely successful, showing that a few choice items may be more alluring to the consumer than walls and walls of cereal choices.
In addition to smaller stores, consumers are also looking to smaller venders, like farmer’s markets and small farms.
Other Big Trends
Consumer items are also tending to become smaller and more efficient. Gerald Celente, head of the Trends Research Institute, writes that the unsustainable practices—big cars, houses, and spending—will end and instead those businesses that focus on compact, smart, functional, reusable, products will get ahead. Seth Godin, author of Small Is the New Big, seconds this idea. In his book, he highlights the benefits and successes of small business, products, and lifestyles.
