SPUD stands for “single person urban dwelling,” which means that SPUDs are people who live alone in urban areas. The rise of single men and women around the world has led to a radical increase in singles in cities, because singles tend to congregate in urban areas. As a result, the demand for dwellings designed for single people is on the rise, with the SPUD demographic actually reshaping the architecture and landscape of cities all over the world.
There are a wide variety of reasons to pursue a single lifestyle. In many cases, people are simply remaining single for longer periods of time after they complete their educations, choosing to live in urban areas to pursue careers and explore the rich cultural offerings available to residents of cities. In these instances, SPUDs may have an intention to pursue a serious long-term relationship at some point in the future, eventually moving in with someone else and perhaps having children.
In other instances, people actively choose to be single and to live alone because they prefer a more solitary lifestyle. This doesn't necessarily preclude an assortment of friends; many such SPUDs have rich friendships with both men and women which may involve taking trips together, going out on the town, seeing movies, and so forth. Many such SPUDs are freemales, women who choose to live without romantic attachments.
Living as a SPUD can get expensive. In urban areas, housing is at a premium, and one-bedroom homes and apartments tend to be pricey. Many singles choose to live with roommates to compensate for the price of housing, which can unfortunately drive the cost of single housing up even further, as landlords see the kind of rents they can get from other tenants. However, SPUDs don't have to spend money on partners or children, so sometimes they end up with substantial disposable income, if they have high-paying jobs.
The demand for housing and entertainment geared to SPUDs has caused a shift in some cities. For example, many new apartment buildings feature a larger number of single apartments to cater to people who wish to live alone, and some bars and restaurants have nights geared specifically to singles. The single lifestyle is also much more widely accepted than it once was, with people no longer being expected to marry and start a family at an early age.