You don't want to live in 3 m2 room that just have a bed, TV with 24/7 news/ads and a giant display simulating the outside?

Come on, you wanna live cheaply in the middle of the city, you're gonna have to sacrifice something!

Joking aside, I agree, sounds dystopian. I'm just having fun with the idea I guess.

I'm so naïve, I hadn't even considered ads. These apartments could have multiple revenue streams. Imagine if the ads were something really innocuous, like slow TV to promote travel.

An interior space filled with artificial light and real plants could definitely be superior to an apartment with a window overlooking a noisy and dirty highway (for example).

Note: Real plants don't freshen the air in the dark, and need darkness cycles to rest.

Also, if you don't have a green thumb, good luck taking care of them.

Plants are beneficial to well being even if they aren't actively cleaning the air. Darkness cycles would happen for the plants when they do for the resident, while sleeping. There are lots of low maintenance plants that can grow exclusively on indoor light, and even without soil (e.g. Pothos). It's not for everyone, but would be a good option for many.