American cities have two big problems these days: too much empty office space and not enough affordable housing. But there may be a solution.

Those empty offices could be converted to "micro-apartments" — "ultracompact rentals about the size of a cruise ship cabin," said the Minnesota Star Tribune. A micro-apartment in Minneapolis would rent for about $750 a month, "about half the cost of a typical rental" in the city's downtown. But it would definitely be micro, about 150 square feet. Each apartment would have room for a bed, desk and half-size refrigerator. The living room, kitchen and laundry areas would be communal shared spaces. 

These would be "tiny, tiny, apartments," said Andrea Riquier at USA Today. But reimagining single-room occupancy dwellings could serve young adults, older people and even the homeless. Most importantly, it would let developers add housing to the market at the "most affordable price point."

What did the commentators say?
"What if cities finally legalized adult dorms?" said Rachel Cohen at Vox. America is in an "affordability crisis" driven by a shortage of as many as 7 million homes. Repurposing office buildings into apartments "seems like a perfect solution," but it's easier said than done. "Strict zoning laws, high interest rates, rising construction costs" and other factors can make the conversions expensive. Many cities long ago banned single-room occupancies, then known as "flophouses," because they were seen as attracting marginalized people. 

The payoffs could include "revitalized downtowns, reduced homelessness, improved housing affordability and more economic opportunity," said Alex Horowitz and Tushar Kansal at Pew Charitable Trusts. Residents would benefit not just from cheap rents but also from close access to downtown jobs and public transportation. That would help "expand their economic opportunities."

What next?
The rise of work-from-home for many office workers means that more than a billion square feet of office space could become available for residential conversions, said Business Insider. Progress is already evident. The state of Washington passed a bill requiring cities to allow micro-apartments in residential buildings with at least six units. It takes effect next year, said The Associated Press. 

In Seattle, meanwhile, micro-units are available for about $900 a month — about $550 less than the median cost of a studio apartment. "That's as cheap as you are going to get without trying to find a subsidized apartment," said Dan Bertolet at the Sightline Institute.

According to polls, climate change is not a top concern for voters in Tuesday's election. This helps explain why the two major party campaigns have had little to say about the issue, particularly Donald Trump. While he has occasionally acknowledged that climate change is a problem, Trump has generally aligned himself with the Republican perspective on the issue, which is that climate change either doesn't exist, isn't caused by humans or is too expensive to combat using clean energy policies.

Downplaying climate change
During his 2024 campaign, Trump stopped referring to climate change as a "hoax" and instead attacked existing or proposed Democratic policies as wasteful or economically destructive. At his rallies, he has frequently criticized renewable energy technologies like wind and solar power. He has expressed concern about the number of birds that he believes are being killed by windmills and suggested windmills cause cancer.

As president, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords, which he has promised to do again if reelected. He also weakened fuel efficiency standards and rolled back some Obama-era regulations. The current Trump campaign has similarly positioned itself as a counterweight to Democratic overreach on the issue and seeks to link green energy policies to inflation. 

Targeting Biden-era regulations 
Trump has also focused criticism on the Biden administration's clean vehicle tax credit and other subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act. If elected, Trump pledges to "end Biden's assault on the internal combustion engine" and cancel emission regulations for vehicles, said his campaign. He has additionally pledged to repeal Biden regulations seeking to increase the percentage of new electric vehicles sold in the U.S. 

At a dinner with oil executives in May, Trump vowed to abolish existing environmental regulations and said that his guests should give him a billion dollars to win the election. His campaign promises a renewed push for domestic oil and natural gas production to lower energy costs for consumers and create jobs. This includes a plan to open up federal lands for leasing to oil and gas companies.