Unit (housing)
Encyclopedia
A unit is a measure of housing equivalent to the living quarters of one household
.
In common speech in Australia and New Zealand, the word "unit", when referring to housing, usually means either: an apartment, (where a group of apartments is contained in one or more multi-storied buildings (an 'apartment block'));or a villa unit or home unit, where a group of dwellings is in one or more single storey buildings, usually arranged around a driveway. In this usage, a unit is a self-contained suite of rooms, usually of modest scale, which may be attached, semi-detached or detached, within a group of similar dwellings. Used in the Australian and New Zealand urban planning and development industry, unit is also a synonym for dwelling, as in, "This development has 22 units per hectare".
A single room unit is more commonly referred to as a studio
flat or bedsit
ter, otherwise known as a Single Room Occupancy
or SRO in North America. It can be hard to discern precisely what attributes distinguish some multi-dwelling developments as units from those referred to as flats or apartments
, though everyday usage suggests there is a class
dimension to the term.
In Canada, the national statistical agency, Statistics Canada
, counts the number of private dwellings in the country at each census, in which case they are then known as "dwelling units", this can refer equally to a house or an apartment. In everyday Canadian English "unit" is used an umbrella term for apartments and condomuniums.
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
.
In common speech in Australia and New Zealand, the word "unit", when referring to housing, usually means either: an apartment, (where a group of apartments is contained in one or more multi-storied buildings (an 'apartment block'));or a villa unit or home unit, where a group of dwellings is in one or more single storey buildings, usually arranged around a driveway. In this usage, a unit is a self-contained suite of rooms, usually of modest scale, which may be attached, semi-detached or detached, within a group of similar dwellings. Used in the Australian and New Zealand urban planning and development industry, unit is also a synonym for dwelling, as in, "This development has 22 units per hectare".
A single room unit is more commonly referred to as a studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
flat or bedsit
Bedsit
A bedsit, also known as a bed-sitting room, is a form of rented accommodation common in Great Britain and Ireland consisting of a single room and shared bathroom; they are part of a legal category of dwellings referred to as Houses in multiple occupation....
ter, otherwise known as a Single Room Occupancy
Single Room Occupancy
A single room occupancy is a multiple-tenant building that houses one or two people in individual rooms , or to the single room dwelling itself...
or SRO in North America. It can be hard to discern precisely what attributes distinguish some multi-dwelling developments as units from those referred to as flats or apartments
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
, though everyday usage suggests there is a class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
dimension to the term.
In Canada, the national statistical agency, Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
, counts the number of private dwellings in the country at each census, in which case they are then known as "dwelling units", this can refer equally to a house or an apartment. In everyday Canadian English "unit" is used an umbrella term for apartments and condomuniums.