Apartment

An apartment is a self-contained housing unit that occupies part of a larger building.

These units allow many people to live in one structure while maintaining their own private space. The way people live in them varies based on legal ownership and local traditions. In North America, the term apartment is most common.

However, in the United Kingdom and Australia, the term flat is the standard name. In some countries, the word unit is used as a general term for both apartments and business suites. This variety of names shows how different cultures organize their living spaces.

Ownership of an apartment, known as housing tenure, can take several different forms. In a condominium, or condo, residents own their specific units individually. They also share ownership of the public spaces in the building. In a housing cooperative, also called a co-op, the residents own shares in a corporation. This corporation owns the entire building or development. Residents do not own their specific apartment but own a proportional number of shares. In these buildings, tenants pay a monthly fee to help with the upkeep of the entire property.

Buildings are often categorized by their height and size. High-rise buildings are multi-story structures containing three or more residences.

These tall structures became possible due to the invention of the elevator and the availability of abundant building materials. Most high-rise buildings use a structural system made of reinforced concrete and steel. If a building has fifty or more stories, it is generally considered a skyscraper. Low-rise buildings have fewer stories and often lack elevators. These are frequently called walk-ups because residents must use the stairs. Some low-rise structures are called garden apartments if they are one or two stories high and feature landscaped grounds.

Different apartment types serve different needs and lifestyles. A studio apartment, sometimes called an efficiency or bachelor apartment, is the smallest self-contained unit.

It usually features one large main room that serves as the living, dining, and bedroom area. In Korea, these are known as wonroom. Another type is the garret apartment, which is located in the attic of a building. These units often have sloping walls because they are located under the roof. While they can be quieter and offer great views, the sloping walls may limit usable space.

Some apartments are designed around specific architectural features. Garden apartments in the United States are low-rise dwellings arranged around courtyards or lawns. They are rarely more than three stories high. In the United Kingdom, a garden flat is often a basement or ground-floor unit with access to a garden.

These were sometimes converted from the lower floors of large Georgian or Victorian townhouses. In some cities, such as Chicago, the term garden apartment refers specifically to a basement apartment. These layouts allow residents to feel connected to outdoor spaces even within a dense city.

Global terminology provides more examples of these diverse living arrangements. In Scotland, a traditional sandstone building might be called a tenement.

In Malaysia, a dingbat refers to a five-story building that typically lacks a lift or facilities. Japanese English uses different loanwords for different levels of housing. The term mansion is used for high-end apartments, while another term describes lower-income housing. This shows how the same concept of a single living unit is adapted to fit local social and economic structures.

Apartment living is closely tied to how cities grow and function. Many structures are mixed-use buildings, which combine residential and commercial uses.

These buildings often place businesses, such as retail shops, on the lower floors and apartments on the upper floors. This design helps integrate living spaces with the economic life of the street. By using vertical space, apartments allow more people to live in urban areas. This efficiency is a key part of modern urban planning and development.