"Micro-Housing: Rethinking Urban Living," a panel discussion on the future of micro-housing in Boston will be held March 26 at the Modern Theatre, 525 Washington St., Boston, from 7:45 to 9:45 a.m.

Suffolk University students majoring in Interior Architecture and Design will create a 300-square-foot micro-unit to serve as a backdrop to the discussion. The students also have designed several interior themes to assist in marketing the units, and these will displayed in the Modern Theatre lobby.

Urban planners and architects are discovering that young professionals are willing to live in micro-housing – units as small as 350 square feet – just as long as they can afford to reside in the city. City officials say that providing this affordable, small-scale housing may help retain some of the talented young people who are forced to leave Boston for more affordable locales after graduating from college.

"This micro-unit movement is not just about cheaper rent; it really is an extension of the zipcar, social media, green/eco, digital and entrepreneurial collaborative generation," said Richard Taylor, executive in residence at Sawyer Business School and director of the Center for Real Estate at Suffolk University, in a statement.

The forum, a joint effort of the Center for Real Estate at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School and the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, is the third in a series of Building Boston 2030 public forums.