That's not what I'm writing about. It's obvious from the photos that they're living in apartments already (those who aren't living in vans), so a "modern" apart

That's not what I'm writing about. It's obvious from the photos that they're living in apartments already (those who aren't living in vans), so a "modern" apartment is just a living accommodation upgrade. It's about trying to find relative solitude in a huge city. It's hard enough to do so in a modern sub-urban environment. I'm personally paying about $1k/month more for relative solitude in an older place with some solitude near a large metropolitan area than I would for a modern apartment in the area. It's worth it not just for the solitude, but for the things not being physically connected, or even really close, to your neighbors' homes provides.