Economic, social and environmental considerations are said to be pushing the size of new homes downward. However, national statistics show the average size in the third quarter of this year — 2,653 square feet — was not far from record territory.

The small home trend is real, but not to the extent that it exerts a significant influence on national figures. The Census Bureau, after all, paints with a broad brush,and records history.

The single-family average peaked in 2007 at 2,521 square feet before entering a short period of decline concurrent with the recession. The graph line meandered up and down but remained above 2,300 square feet before taking off again. Since 2001 the average square footage has held fast in the 2,600s and 2,700s.

Increasingly, the market appears to be segmented into big (traditional), small (including cottages and cluster homes around 700 to 1,000 square feet) and really small (so-called “tiny homes” with size measured in the low hundreds of square feet.) Many tiny homes are towable and registered as recreational vehicles, thus are not included in housing statistics.

That “in between” segment resonates strongly with a number of Bend home buyers, and agrees with the Bend lifestyle.

Alan Mascord Design Associates Inc., the wide-reaching house plan service, sees a wave of demand for smaller homes already developing.

“A changing economic climate, coupled with increasing concern for the environment, has launched a new trend: the small house movement,” according to a Mascord infographic titled “The Rise of Small House Plans.”

Among reasons cited: aging in place. Americans aged 55 to 59 were surveyed with 28 percent declaring they would like a smaller home. Also on the list were environmental consciousness, energy costs and growth of single-person households.

Fortune magazine (May 13, 2015) observed “the two market segments indicating the most interest in smaller homes are millenials, who either don’t want or can’t afford a mortgage in a place they want to live, and boomers who are downsizing for retirement and want to be released from the golden handcuffs required to pay for and maintain a large home. As a result, product manufacturers at all price points are ramping up to meet this tiny, small and micro-unit demand.”

From the on-line journal freshome.com: “People are realizing that high-end luxury and style can be achieved in even the smallest of spaces. Designers have responded to the small housing movement, showing us that luxury can be achieved in the smallest of houses.”

Bend has been an incubator for the small home movement. One such project, The Commons at NorthWest Crossing, is a secluded cluster neighborhood of individually-owned, traditional-style cottages facing a landscaped common area. Sizes range from 793 to 999 square feet.

Homes are characterized by compact floor plans, high-end finishes, vaulted ceilings and energy-saving features. They pack all the design attributes of an upscale family home into a small package. As a result, prices per square foot are largely on the high side of $400.

Nine of the 14 homes platted have been sold or are under contract. The mixture of buyers is diverse. Singles and couples, retired or working toward retirement, in some cases downsizing. Buyers will put two of the homes on the long-term rental market and one will be an artist’s studio. Buyers come from Bend, California, Colorado and Washington state.

“Bottom line, our buyer is primarily a 50s something, retired or close to retired woman who wants small yet comfortable, safe living,” said co-listing agent Alison Mata.

The downsizing trend can be seen in phase two of Monterey Mews, detached condominium homes near College Way in Northwest Bend. Still on the drawing board, homes will range from 934 to 1,324 square feet.

And there may be another cottage project in NorthWest Crossing coming in 2016, according to West Bend Property Co., the neighborhood’s developer.

Judging from experience in Bend, the small house concept is here to stay. Buyers are looking beyond basic shelter requirements and agree that big is not necessarily better. This generation of cottage homes is compact and classy. A cube van will carry more stuff, but wouldn’t you rather drive a Mercedes?