Concept A
One bedroom
A complete private home for one person or a couple. Its final size and layout will be tested during the feasibility study.
Ownership based co living
Own sooner.
Build wealth earlier.
Sustainaprise is developing a new kind of first home. Residents would own a compact private home, share generous building amenities, and build equity they could carry into their next home.
The observation
The housing crisis gets harder as life gets bigger.
Many housing programs respond when people need a larger family home. By then, the home costs more and the financial gap is wider.
In 2024, 71 percent of adults ages 25 to 34 did not own a home. Their housing payments provided a place to live but did not build housing equity.
Sustainaprise is exploring a way for younger adults to begin building ownership wealth sooner. The idea combines smaller private homes, generous shared spaces, and financing designed around the barriers to buying. If the model works, residents could enter ownership earlier and build equity through their monthly housing payments.
40
Median age of a first time home buyer in 2025
15x
Median net worth of homeowners under 35 compared with renters under 35 in 2022: $151,000 versus $10,000
The idea
Change the home and the way people finance it.
01
Reduce the space each person must buy
Residents own a complete private home. Larger kitchens, dining rooms, lounges, work areas, guest rooms, and wellness spaces are shared across the building.
02
Create a financing path for earlier entry
The ownership and financing structure must reduce the cash and credit barriers to entry. Monthly payments must build resident equity with clear rules for value and resale.
If both parts work together, younger adults may be able to own sooner, build equity, and use that value toward a larger home later.
The homes
Private where it matters. Shared where it makes sense.
Each resident would have a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living space. The building would provide larger rooms and amenities that are expensive to place inside every home.
Concept B
One bedroom with a flexible room
A larger private home with space for work, guests, or another use. Its final size and layout will be tested during the feasibility study.
Shared amenities
More room beyond the front door
Shared spaces give residents access to rooms and amenities that would be costly to place inside every home.
The goal
Make the first home a bridge to the next one.
01
Buy earlier
Enter ownership while a compact home still fits your life.
02
Build equity
Use monthly housing payments to build an asset.
03
Stay or sell
Remain as long as the home fits, or sell under clear rules.
04
Move forward
Carry the proceeds toward another home when life changes.
Where we are now
Sustainaprise is testing the idea before building a pilot.
The next step is a New York City feasibility study. It will test resident demand, building design, purchase cost, financing, ownership, resale, operations, and the value residents could build over time.
Those findings will determine whether the idea should advance, change, or stop.
Read the funder concept paperHelp shape what comes next
Get involved
Whether you are interested in living in an Urban Ownership community, bringing the concept to your city, offering a site, supporting the feasibility study, or exploring a development partnership, tell us how you would like to participate.