tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90073975650350869432024-03-23T03:13:39.813-07:00the INCREMENTAL house[change and adaptation of the home]Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-55012195411330498452024-02-18T10:38:00.000-08:002024-02-18T10:38:45.698-08:00Shipping Containers, Part II: Affordable, But...?<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a follow-up to the previous post on shipping containers, I did come across a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Georgetown, SC that is trying to develop </span><a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/news/georgetown-sc-habitat-for-humanity-building-tiny-shipping-container-houses/article_afedc702-b651-11ee-a66c-97b1dee97496.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Evening%20Roundup%202624&utm_content=Evening%20Roundup%202624+CID_27198e9bd60f0135a93f928f3bb53d7f&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_term=Used%20shipping%20containers%20may%20be%20a%20low-income%20housing%20solution%20in%20Georgetownhttps://www.postandcourier.com/news/georgetown-sc-habitat-for-humanity-building-tiny-shipping-container-houses/article_afedc702-b651-11ee-a66c-97b1dee97496.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Evening%20Roundup%202624&utm_content=Evening%20Roundup%202624+CID_27198e9bd60f0135a93f928f3bb53d7f&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_term=Used%20shipping%20containers%20may%20be%20a%20low-income%20housing%20solution%20in%20Georgetown" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">extremely low cost housing using shipping containers</span></a><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In order to meet the needs of very low income seniors, they have had to think outside the box, which led them back to the box. The article states the following: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"The nonprofit expects the cost of creating a container home to come in around $25,000, covering everything but the full-size appliances, which are donated. With the cost of land, site preparation and moving the container home, the final cost is projected to be about $65,000."</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kudos to them for trying a new approach. If the numbers hold and they can deliver a one-bedroom for $65k, including land, then they may be onto something. Based on their numbers, this would put their actual construction costs at $90/ SF. With that said, most of the critiques from the <a href="https://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2020/01/shipping-containers-cool-but.html">previous post</a> exist here. How functional will it be to actually live in such a space? The greatest challenges appears to be dealing with the size, proportion and construction of the shipping container itself. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Will seniors living in this house appreciate and value the uniqueness of it? Will they be okay with spaces that have such tight dimensions, especially for folks who may require more room to get around (walkers, etc.)? </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> As the picture below shows, the space is even more limited once it gets furred out with 2x4’s. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/2a/72a80f68-ba31-11ee-a5fb-0b61b0d68ae0/65b0274378170.image.jpg?resize=990%2C709" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="800" src="https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/2a/72a80f68-ba31-11ee-a5fb-0b61b0d68ae0/65b0274378170.image.jpg?resize=990%2C709" title="https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/2a/72a80f68-ba31-11ee-a5fb-0b61b0d68ae0/65b0274378170.image.jpg?resize=990%2C709" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Furring out the inside of the shipping container with 2x studs</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And while it doesn’t sound like this was the driving factor, one benefit of this is that such a narrow building could potentially be utilized on smaller lots that may not be able to receive a traditional building or construction. Depending on local zoning regulations, the prefabricated element could also make building houses in tighter locations more feasible, whereas tiny homes (on a trailer) would not be feasible (or legal). </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While I would like to see how this house performs once it is completed, surely there are better ways to build houses for under $100/SF. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on how manufactured housing can deliver construction costs at this level, but with many more design options.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-60063952327681949522020-01-02T19:18:00.001-08:002020-01-02T19:18:16.246-08:00Shipping Containers: Cool, but Unaffordable<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9m7Sj1FEd4E/Xg6xxkufYHI/AAAAAAAAK30/KYEPyNVgY-ofOorr0RLILuoi-V4v28yVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/shipping%2Bcontainer.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1457" data-original-width="873" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9m7Sj1FEd4E/Xg6xxkufYHI/AAAAAAAAK30/KYEPyNVgY-ofOorr0RLILuoi-V4v28yVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/shipping%2Bcontainer.PNG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.archdaily.com/772414/ga-designs-radical-shipping-container-skyscraper-for-mumbai-slum"><i>https://www.archdaily.com/772414/ga-designs-radical-shipping-container-skyscraper-for-mumbai-slum</i></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been approached multiple times this year by people who think shipping containers are the best solution to reducing costs in housing. I hate to bust their bubble, but plainly put, they are not a good solution. Recently, I came across an excellent critique of this phenomenom by Architect Mark Hogan. In his piece titled <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/773491/opinion-whats-wrong-with-shipping-container-housing-everything" target="_blank">"What's Wrong with Shipping Container Housing? Everything."</a> he highlights why shipping containers are not a solution for mass housing:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<ol style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303030; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.75em; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 1.75em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Housing is usually not a technology problem. All parts of the world have vernacular housing, and it usually works quite well for the local climate. There are certainly places with material shortages, or situations where factory built housing might be appropriate - especially when an area is recovering from a disaster. In this case prefab buildings would make sense- but doing them in containers does not.</i></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If you are going through the trouble of building in factory, why not build to a dimension that is appropriate for human habitation? With only 7 feet clear (2.1 meters) inside a built-out container, you are left with the building code minimum room width as your typical condition. It’s hardly an ideal width, and it is not difficult to ship wider modular units: modular home builders do it all the time.</i></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Insulation. All surfaces of the container need to be insulated, and this means either building a new set of walls on the inside or outside of the container. If walls are furred out on the interior, this is convenient for plumbing and electrical lines but it narrows the usable space of an already small box. It also allows for a huge amount of thermal bridging unless the floor is built up with insulation on the inside (which brings up a host of other problems). If the exterior is insulated it no longer looks like a container, and then you have to pay to clad the entire thing over the insulation. In either scenario you’re duplicating all of the walls that you started with. Improper insulation will result in heavy condensation on the inside of the metal exterior walls.</i></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Structure. You’ve seen the proposals with cantilevers everywhere. Containers stacked like Lego building blocks, or with one layer perpendicular to the next. Architects love stuff like this, just like they throw around usually misleading/meaningless phrases like "kit of parts." Guess what - the second you don’t stack the containers on their corners, the structure that is built into the containers needs to be duplicated with heavy steel reinforcing. The rails at the top and the roof of the container are not structural at all (the roof of a container is light gauge steel, and will dent easily if you step on it). If you cut openings in the container walls, the entire structure starts to deflect and needs to be reinforced because the corrugated sides act like the flange of beam and once big pieces are removed, the beam stops working. All of this steel reinforcing is very expensive, and it’s the only way you can build a "double-wide."</i></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Stacking. One recent competition boasted that because containers can be stacked 9-high, concrete floors could be provided every 9th floor with stacks of containers in between. That load still needs to travel down through the building, and still then requires columns. Those floors every ninth floor need to hold the entire weight of 9-stories of building above, which makes it dubious that you’d really be saving much on structure. The foundation also needs to be built similarly to a "regular" site-built building, and this is one of the most expensive pieces. Stacking also requires a large crane and an area for staging the prefabricated container modules, which can be hard to arrange on a dense urban infill site.</i></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Utilities and Mechanical Systems. In a large building, you’ll still need a lot of space to run utilities. Because of the problems with insulation mentioned above, you will need to install a very robust HVAC system to heat and cool the building (that <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/tag/mumbai" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #026cb6; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mumbai</a> tower shown above would literally be a deathtrap without cooling). You will have a hard time taking advantage of passive strategies like thermal mass if you maintain the container aesthetic. You’ll also end up with low ceilings, as even high cube containers are only 9 feet 6 inches (2.9 meters) in overall exterior height, so any ductwork or utilities start cutting in to headroom.</i></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Recycling. Part of the container narrative is that it’s "green" because we have a surplus of containers that can be reused. This is somewhat true, but in reality many existing container projects use brand new containers from China (which are still very cheap to buy). Used containers need to be thoroughly cleaned because there is a risk they may have been used to transport something toxic in the past."</i></span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #303030; font-family: "source sans pro" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">I think he pretty much nailed it. If we could accept the fact that shipping containers are not the solution to our affordable housing crisis (anywhere in the world) but instead are <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/20/shipping-containers-affordable-housing-215400" target="_blank">just a cool idea to use as housing</a>, then it would help channel creative energies where it is most needed- in designing realistic and appropriate housing solutions. </span></span>Given the problems described above, what are the characteristics of shipping containers that could be utilized to help create high quality and affordable housing at a large scale without actually using shipping containers?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
1. Pre-fabrication.<br />
2. Modularity and ease of assembly.<br />
3. Robust structure<br />
4. Small size and ease of transport.<br />
5. Affordability<br />
6. Ability to scale up.<br />
7. Opportunity to aggregate and potentially stack.<br />
<br />
There are so many other ways to apply these principles to create affordable housing than shipping containers. The most obvious one that comes to mind is manufactured housing, or mobile homes. I have written more about this <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/mobilemanufactured-homes.html" target="_blank">past posts</a>, and will dive in a little deeper in future posts. Stay tuned.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-72800229133518916692019-10-09T10:23:00.002-07:002019-10-09T10:23:14.272-07:00The Tiny Home as a Module<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">I have a lot to say about the rise and popularity of Tiny Homes, but will go more in depth in a future post. In the meantime, I have come across some innovative applications beyond the standard 200 SF idyllic house on a trailer out in nature (thanks treehugger.com!). Designed by </span><a href="http://www.vivacollectiv.com/tiny-homes" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">VIVA Collectiv,</a><span style="text-align: left;"> I love these because they take a small module and think about it in a way that it can be aggregated to create new spaces, both inside and out. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3qioQnTSKg/XZ4SuHbie4I/AAAAAAAAKzo/XI03DH03yacM_S1SyBl88885UZa5Xee4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ohana-1.jpg.860x0_q70_crop-scale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="860" height="448" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3qioQnTSKg/XZ4SuHbie4I/AAAAAAAAKzo/XI03DH03yacM_S1SyBl88885UZa5Xee4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/ohana-1.jpg.860x0_q70_crop-scale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ohana: Copyright: Craig Williams, Viva Collectiv</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first is called the <a href="https://www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/family-home-two-tiny-houses-connected-sun-room.html" target="_blank">Ohana</a> and essentially combines two tiny homes and uses the space in between to create an additional space. Here is how Treehugger.com describes it:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f7f5; color: #333333; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>"With each side comprising 176 square feet of usable space, and the sunroom adding another 247 square feet, the total comes in at just a hair under 600 square feet of usable space. While a bit larger than the standard tiny home, it’s a wonderfully novel way to live big while still on the small side. It’s also a very reasonable way for a family of four, for which the home was designed, to cohabitate while living in a small footprint."</i></span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ap0XA3RUqDQ/XZ4SzouaVTI/AAAAAAAAK0M/FBUYBhCK8yQpMMSma_NgS0LLOJt8wG9mwCEwYBhgL/s1600/ohana-floorplan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ap0XA3RUqDQ/XZ4SzouaVTI/AAAAAAAAK0M/FBUYBhCK8yQpMMSma_NgS0LLOJt8wG9mwCEwYBhgL/s640/ohana-floorplan.jpg" width="616" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Ohana: Viva Collectiv<br /></td></tr>
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The second is the <a href="https://www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/two-part-tiny-home-has-mobile-studio-travels.html" target="_blank">Amplified Tiny Home,</a> which consists of a small 400 SF house on a foundation and a 160 SF mobile tiny home that can "plug and play" with the main house. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vX0bGZDhEnc/XZ4SzruQLBI/AAAAAAAAK0A/pdSzvl87GDoMebmfvg_zmUPQ8LUh1wWJQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Shreve_161027_0199.jpg.860x0_q70_crop-scale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="860" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vX0bGZDhEnc/XZ4SzruQLBI/AAAAAAAAK0A/pdSzvl87GDoMebmfvg_zmUPQ8LUh1wWJQCEwYBhgL/s640/Shreve_161027_0199.jpg.860x0_q70_crop-scale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Amplified Tiny Home: Copyright: Don Shreve, Viva Collectiv</td></tr>
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The beauty of this is that it allows the actual tiny home part to truly be mobile. Because it is site-built, the main house can be a little more dimensionally flexible as it doesn't have to meet the width requirements of traveling down the road. This allows for a more livable space. Additionally, the way the two units are situated allows for a deck between, further expanding the feel of the space in both units. It allows for small living without feeling "tiny."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zuCm7py4Gjs/XZ4SzqwrAFI/AAAAAAAAKz8/9MCHq6TTCUQ7Z1ZmSfKZAo_0DwCFlqsPwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Shreve_161027_0074.jpg.860x0_q70_crop-smart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="860" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zuCm7py4Gjs/XZ4SzqwrAFI/AAAAAAAAKz8/9MCHq6TTCUQ7Z1ZmSfKZAo_0DwCFlqsPwCEwYBhgL/s640/Shreve_161027_0074.jpg.860x0_q70_crop-smart.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ohana: Copyright: Don Shreve, Viva Collectiv</td></tr>
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Thinking of a Tiny Home as a module that can be adapted, added onto and planned to grow and change certainly makes them a much more livable housing option, while still keeping costs down compared to other housing options.<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-5706846855840354422019-08-21T10:36:00.007-07:002019-08-21T10:36:55.002-07:00The Naked House<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Designed to be adaptable and ultimately built-out by its inhabitants, the <a href="https://nakedhouse.org/about" target="_blank">Naked House</a> is another concept in a long line of housing proposals that apply the ideas of adaptability and flexibility in attempt to make the housing more affordable. With a goal of reducing initial upfront costs, each unit is delivered in its naked state, beginning with a bare 50 square meters that houses a wet core of bathroom and kitchen, but no additional walls, floors or finishes. After that, the inhabitants can expand and adapt the space into an 87 square meter, three bedroom home:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>"Clever design moves include a double-height space with a mezzanine and built-in ledge around the perimeter at first floor height, making it easy to add joists and create an extra floor, while a sturdy garden wall with a party wall agreement already in place makes building a rear extension a question of simply adding a roof. Services will sim- ply be housed in a sunken perimeter channel cast into the floor slabs and covered with a plywood plate, so they can be easily maintained – and re- configured if rooms move around." </i>[ </span><a href="https://nakedhouse.org/projects/Enfield/old-garage-sites">https://nakedhouse.org/projects/Enfield/old-garage-sites</a> ]<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A8RJ4wTXzN4/XV2AUakcTkI/AAAAAAAAKwQ/xHRvYXgyV8MNHq9NGFSx5AxABCP-x_eNQCLcBGAs/s1600/floor%2Bplans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="930" height="419" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A8RJ4wTXzN4/XV2AUakcTkI/AAAAAAAAKwQ/xHRvYXgyV8MNHq9NGFSx5AxABCP-x_eNQCLcBGAs/s640/floor%2Bplans.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://nakedhouse.org/projects/Enfield/old-garage-sites">https://nakedhouse.org/projects/Enfield/old-garage-sites</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While its concept is still yet to be proven in the open market, I love that they are a not-for-profit development team that is focused on the financial and regulatory considerations as much as the design. A few of the highlights are:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Will not cost more than 1/3 of an inhabitant's income.</li>
<li>Homes are building code compliant in their naked state.</li>
<li>They have partnered with financial institutions to ensure mortgages would be available for this unique approach. (I would like to learn more about how these are setup to support future additions, improvements, etc.)</li>
<li>Some of the houses will be on city-owned land where the inhabitants would pay a monthly"land rent", thus reducing significant up-front costs related to the expense of land. (This is very similar to how <a href="https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/real-estate/landlord-tenant-law/leasing-a-mobile-home-and-mobile-home-park-space.html" target="_blank">mobile homes</a> are financially structured in the United States).</li>
<li>Long-term affordability is locked in through resale covenants that (in theory) allow some profit to be made if the home is sold, although it seems to be at the mercy of market forces.</li>
</ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWV2dlTOli8/XV2AcnBcIRI/AAAAAAAAKwU/Qww3u5_CofY1rNL9RT8kE4zRn5YwzAuqACLcBGAs/s1600/render.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="403" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWV2dlTOli8/XV2AcnBcIRI/AAAAAAAAKwU/Qww3u5_CofY1rNL9RT8kE4zRn5YwzAuqACLcBGAs/s640/render.JPG" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://nakedhouse.org/projects/Enfield/old-garage-sites">https://nakedhouse.org/projects/Enfield/old-garage-sites</a></td></tr>
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<div>
On paper, all of this sounds very promising, although the imagery certainly leaves something to be desired on the inside. The holistic approach may ensure that this model actually has some legs and is not relegated to the "one-off" graveyard that seem to haunt so many of these concepts. Time will tell. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-58597320994051392742019-05-15T10:29:00.001-07:002019-08-19T18:41:26.014-07:00Quinta Monroy: A Victim of its Own Success?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/10/chile-quinta-monroy.html" target="_blank">visit to Quinta Monroy in 2008</a> convinced me that incremental housing was a viable approach to helping solve the problems of housing affordability, quality and availability in many parts of the world. This project, designed by ELEMENTAL, reminded me that sometimes the best architecture is less architecture. The beauty of this project is that it is designed to change over time, and it is doing just that. And maybe even a little too much.<br />
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One of the community leaders of the Quinta Monroy project (which I highlighted in 2008) put me in touch with the Brazilian photographer Fernando Bellia, who was putting together images of the project for an exhibit. We were able to share some images and he provided me with some updated photographs from 2013. I was able to place them next to images I had taken in 2008 to show how the project has continued to evolve incrementally. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahb0ESCAo1Y/XLKfCIauCeI/AAAAAAAAKaA/N9HjhXVPqisnXGyIcOqGLCMN1NYAJFbVACLcBGAs/s1600/elev_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="972" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahb0ESCAo1Y/XLKfCIauCeI/AAAAAAAAKaA/N9HjhXVPqisnXGyIcOqGLCMN1NYAJFbVACLcBGAs/s640/elev_2013.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: Luke W. Perry & Fernando Bellia</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HO5FotqSw4w/XNN-2u1AD0I/AAAAAAAAKgw/cFsfXY1t5QU8PKquRwco-BPJBWE_izRqwCLcBGAs/s1600/Courtyard%2Belev_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="946" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HO5FotqSw4w/XNN-2u1AD0I/AAAAAAAAKgw/cFsfXY1t5QU8PKquRwco-BPJBWE_izRqwCLcBGAs/s640/Courtyard%2Belev_2013.jpg" width="544" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: Luke W. Perry & Fernando Bellia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-binz_LAkY5s/XLKfGkeZUhI/AAAAAAAAKaQ/MrAd6ks6Fk83frILs3GBQ30vlJ31EfeEwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Courtyard%2B2_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="946" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-binz_LAkY5s/XLKfGkeZUhI/AAAAAAAAKaQ/MrAd6ks6Fk83frILs3GBQ30vlJ31EfeEwCEwYBhgL/s640/Courtyard%2B2_2013.jpg" width="544" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: Luke W. Perry & Fernando Bellia</td></tr>
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As you can see, the buildings and neighborhood continues to evolve to meet the needs and desires of those living there. Some changes are cosmetic with lots of new colors and coats of paint. Other changes are more substantial where families have expanded their homes into the dedicated expansion space. It continues to grow, adapt and change, as was the plan and intention all along.<br />
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But what about in the last 5 years? I did a little more searching and was able to find some photos that showed numerous additions both horizontally and vertically that were outside of the dedicated expansion zones. These photos are from an <a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/a-case-for-the-incremental-quinta-monroy/" target="_blank">article about incremental housing </a>written by Amiee Groundwater published in 2015.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hfp2f1agBd0/XNN_yQhNYnI/AAAAAAAAKg4/XE-GA2mFfggyO3S0SVJq1LncvCtV6JX_ACLcBGAs/s1600/8bcf52b66223e56a2f77abf4791ad0b2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="980" height="392" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hfp2f1agBd0/XNN_yQhNYnI/AAAAAAAAKg4/XE-GA2mFfggyO3S0SVJq1LncvCtV6JX_ACLcBGAs/s640/8bcf52b66223e56a2f77abf4791ad0b2.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/a-case-for-the-incremental-quinta-monroy/">https://architectureau.com/articles/a-case-for-the-incremental-quinta-monroy/</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXJQYjn8Ml4/XNOAUdQANMI/AAAAAAAAKhE/yRYxEgYYR_EC6fFBkH8k54i9WVsfN0v9wCLcBGAs/s1600/88adeffd0f3997c0d97d04d59a6c9307.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="362" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXJQYjn8Ml4/XNOAUdQANMI/AAAAAAAAKhE/yRYxEgYYR_EC6fFBkH8k54i9WVsfN0v9wCLcBGAs/s640/88adeffd0f3997c0d97d04d59a6c9307.webp" width="499" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/a-case-for-the-incremental-quinta-monroy/">https://architectureau.com/articles/a-case-for-the-incremental-quinta-monroy/</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hD0t8L67b1E/XNOAUU0oLMI/AAAAAAAAKhA/xrtC5hkvxK8kQfFmwH8H0RkZBbCUDtTvwCLcBGAs/s1600/f7648c54c4aab317b236a491e7df68ac.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="361" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hD0t8L67b1E/XNOAUU0oLMI/AAAAAAAAKhA/xrtC5hkvxK8kQfFmwH8H0RkZBbCUDtTvwCLcBGAs/s640/f7648c54c4aab317b236a491e7df68ac.webp" width="497" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/a-case-for-the-incremental-quinta-monroy/">https://architectureau.com/articles/a-case-for-the-incremental-quinta-monroy/</a></td></tr>
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I also came across some other research from Chile that is looking at this project with a more critical lens. <a href="https://invi.uchilefau.cl/la-otra-mitad-de-la-quinta-monroy/" target="_blank">This article</a> highlights a number of challenges that have arisen, in particular, the last few years:<br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Given the demand for housing in this area and the success of this particular project, many families are receiving offers to sell. However, it would be hard to find comparable housing in the area if they were to sell their property.</li>
<li>The public spaces are increasingly seen as spaces of conflict, as individual property encroachments are reducing the actual amount of space and staking ownership for themselves. This includes dedicated areas for parking as well as house extensions beyond the allotted space.</li>
<li>Additional additions (vertical and horizontal) and poor construction beyond the allotted spaces for each unit have resulted in a deterioration of the architecture and quality of space of the community.</li>
</ol>
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The photos and reflections above are particularly interesting as they point to the face that the project has become a victim of its own success. The whole idea was to create a new community, without displacing any residents that also provided and regulated the construction quality and access to public space (community interactions, light, air, etc.). Now, there appears to be displacement, poor construction quality and encroachments into the public space, which force us to ask some hard questions of the project: Can the desires and lifestyles of the inhabitants continue to work within the frame provided by the architects? Or, put more bluntly, can the architecture survive the people? Should it have to?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i1x6ux2hR2c/XNOAdQn2anI/AAAAAAAAKhI/Blrxi54ICZgHV1J35Hrj8H2KFcfQ2YeigCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i1x6ux2hR2c/XNOAdQn2anI/AAAAAAAAKhI/Blrxi54ICZgHV1J35Hrj8H2KFcfQ2YeigCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3092.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://invi.uchilefau.cl/la-otra-mitad-de-la-quinta-monroy/">https://invi.uchilefau.cl/la-otra-mitad-de-la-quinta-monroy/</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qsxLZ8LQXXo/XNOGgoW50FI/AAAAAAAAKhk/BzxfUSdcdscqCynebrBtUbJPuVCRKOgCQCLcBGAs/s1600/qm-original-state07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="787" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qsxLZ8LQXXo/XNOGgoW50FI/AAAAAAAAKhk/BzxfUSdcdscqCynebrBtUbJPuVCRKOgCQCLcBGAs/s640/qm-original-state07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quinta Monroy before redevelopment: photo by Tadeuz Jalocha, Cristobal Palma</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odD2ZOTxOnM/XNOGgDRCcgI/AAAAAAAAKhY/25MRPoj_WBg5PV5mWib0orYGwXo2y6tDQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odD2ZOTxOnM/XNOGgDRCcgI/AAAAAAAAKhY/25MRPoj_WBg5PV5mWib0orYGwXo2y6tDQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4221.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urban context around Quinta Monroy: photo by Luke W. Perry</td></tr>
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Human nature, activities, desires and the larger socioeconomic impacts will continue evolve and change. The idea that housing should designed to change and evolve to accommodate these impacts is crucial. However, we can only truly understand the lessons of these projects through critical analysis that occurs 5, 10, 20 years (and so on) after they are completed. I hope there will be as much information and analysis in the years to come about the successes and failures of this project after 10-15 years of use as there was after 2 years of use. Then, we can really celebrate it for the pioneering project that it is. It just may be in a different way than was imagined.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-27383159152259470982019-04-16T19:36:00.001-07:002019-04-16T19:36:40.994-07:00ELEMENTAL'S Construction Details of Incremental Housing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OUwSQ0H6g9g/XLaQtSUGM7I/AAAAAAAAKcY/6EOP2WZP5zYGOFweOeExdFUauBsHXtLCwCLcBGAs/s1600/ELEMENTAL-QUINTA-MONROY-ARQ-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1325" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OUwSQ0H6g9g/XLaQtSUGM7I/AAAAAAAAKcY/6EOP2WZP5zYGOFweOeExdFUauBsHXtLCwCLcBGAs/s400/ELEMENTAL-QUINTA-MONROY-ARQ-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In 2017, ELEMENTAL, the firm that has helped pioneer incremental housing in a more more modern context has shared their drawings and construction details of the a number of their most prominent projects, including <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/10/chile-quinta-monroy.html" target="_blank">Quinta Monroy</a>. You can download the ABC's of Incremental Housing <a href="http://www.elementalchile.cl/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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These should be used more as a reference and conceptual approach on better understanding how such buildings can and should be designed and subsequently built. However, anyone looking to actually execute such a project should adjust the design and construction methods to meet local conditions, regulations, etc. <br />
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I am grateful for ELEMENTAL for sharing this kind of open source knowledge so that such ideas may more easily be implemented instead of just talked about. With that said, it would be nice to see some conclusions on what worked well and what didn't. While I know later projects by ELEMENTAL were variations of Quinta Monroy, sharing a constructive critique and analysis of each project would help ensure the collective knowledge is expanded each time a new project executed. <br />
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Upcoming posts over the next few months will focus on how Quinta Monroy has grown and changed, as well as related applications in places such as the United States.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-42707318835532061412019-03-14T18:27:00.002-07:002019-03-14T18:28:02.601-07:00Beyond Cairo's Painted Buildings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3gFbGa5Te0/XIr64SO3H8I/AAAAAAAAKV4/ito5A19cqT8huai_i4oc4h9QGYdndbDbACLcBGAs/s1600/boys%2Bmanshiet%2Bnasser.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3gFbGa5Te0/XIr64SO3H8I/AAAAAAAAKV4/ito5A19cqT8huai_i4oc4h9QGYdndbDbACLcBGAs/s400/boys%2Bmanshiet%2Bnasser.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/world/middleeast/cairo-mural-garbage.html?module=inline</td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-9a7b1281-7fff-031c-cc36-1db8f187042f"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-9a7b1281-7fff-031c-cc36-1db8f187042f"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Much of the informal housing around the identified by an aesthetic that is often seen as unsightly and uncontrolled, as it is one of constant change and pure utility in many cases. And yet, in the eyes of many, particularly those who hold power, these neighborhoods often represent areas that need to be "controlled". Some recent efforts in Cairo highlight the differences in two approaches. One approach highlighted is in this </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/world/middleeast/egypt-cairo-sisi-pyramds-ring-road.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=World" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">article</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from the New York Times, where President Sisi is wanting all buildings along the way to the pyramids to be painted, so they will look better from the main road, with the expectation that buildings owners would pay for it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I drove along the road to the pyramids many years ago, I was astounded by the scale and pace of the farmland being converted into housing, much of it unregulated in Giza. And yet, in the midst of it, people have already been using paint to stake their claim and identify their spaces in these new buildings.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVRgquFb75M/XIr2cinb-bI/AAAAAAAAKVs/eSADUPITEUgcCy-sMfUn6-ffA_G7UFH6wCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVRgquFb75M/XIr2cinb-bI/AAAAAAAAKVs/eSADUPITEUgcCy-sMfUn6-ffA_G7UFH6wCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_7292.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Giza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U_irm0zACew/XIr2c0Qsx5I/AAAAAAAAKVk/nGN3nCoegnUCLE1JdqEStYneiFyhXCn3ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U_irm0zACew/XIr2c0Qsx5I/AAAAAAAAKVk/nGN3nCoegnUCLE1JdqEStYneiFyhXCn3ACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_7305.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Giza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nwW4tlaJEv0/XIr2dYwkmaI/AAAAAAAAKVw/kk4pFxCxobsAJq8RgRLwkDoMZ3uCbHPNwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nwW4tlaJEv0/XIr2dYwkmaI/AAAAAAAAKVw/kk4pFxCxobsAJq8RgRLwkDoMZ3uCbHPNwCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_7319.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Giza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ZtZCqIm5sQ/XIr2diDC6lI/AAAAAAAAKVw/OomZYDghMT8zL-ew1Sa6x95VzCAQfSIvgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ZtZCqIm5sQ/XIr2diDC6lI/AAAAAAAAKVw/OomZYDghMT8zL-ew1Sa6x95VzCAQfSIvgCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_7340.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Giza</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3b2b111a-7fff-1c89-d817-aff321936818"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other approach highlighted is an </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/world/middleeast/cairo-mural-garbage.html?module=inline" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">expansive mural</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> painted on buildings in Manshiet Nasser, a neighborhood in Cairo, where residents collect and process much of city's garbage. They actually use their houses to store and process the garbage. And while the mural is certainly a very superficial aesthetic improvement (and only works when viewed from one particular spot-see below), this article highlights the fact that the relationships that the artists developed during the process of painting may have been more significant than the resulting piece of art. And in many ways, this highlights the very nature of the informal settlements- that they are constantly in the process of change and never a finished product. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">I had the fortune of visiting this extraordinary neighborhood in 2008 and was able to take a photo from the same spot from which the mural was to be viewed. I love being able to see how transformations have taken place over time. With that said, I was a little surprised that these buildings had not grown more during the 10 year span. But maybe I shouldn't be, given the discrimination and </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-landslide/killer-landslide-hits-east-cairo-shanty-town-idUSL629496520080906" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">tragedies</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> that have struck this neighborhood during that time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre;">2018</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wWr_SkuminI/XIfpvHdCnXI/AAAAAAAAKTY/UlrU9YoQkyYMN2ATMSX9t2vtSGn5sBYawCLcBGAs/s1600/manshiet%2Bnasser%2Bmural.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wWr_SkuminI/XIfpvHdCnXI/AAAAAAAAKTY/UlrU9YoQkyYMN2ATMSX9t2vtSGn5sBYawCLcBGAs/s400/manshiet%2Bnasser%2Bmural.PNG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/world/middleeast/cairo-mural-garbage.html?module=inline</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">2008</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4K1EKStz6XI/XIr2HX5R-qI/AAAAAAAAKVM/-Sp1nCo2ni87h3DUWMEALHnurc35yHwNgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Manshiet%2BNasser%2BSimple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="216" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4K1EKStz6XI/XIr2HX5R-qI/AAAAAAAAKVM/-Sp1nCo2ni87h3DUWMEALHnurc35yHwNgCEwYBhgL/s400/Manshiet%2BNasser%2BSimple.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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Picture I took from same spot in 2008</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most cities depend on facilities and machines to process waste. Yet, in this neighborhood, most of it is done by and hand and with the help of animals, and many structures are used exclusively to store trash. There is an even a non-profit that recycles all of the paper and turns it into new paper products (letterhead, bags, etc.), providing an additional income stream for the community. It felt like an oasis in the middle of an urban jungle unlike any other I have seen.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-58956189224007909572014-12-16T18:35:00.000-08:002019-04-16T19:48:49.160-07:00Indigenous Bourgeisie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Check out <a href="http://video.ft.com/3880182961001/Bolivias-indigenous-bourgeoisie/Ft-Wealth" target="_blank">this fascinating video</a>, highlighting Bolivia's <a href="http://video.ft.com/3880182961001/Bolivias-indigenous-bourgeoisie/Ft-Wealth" target="_blank">"Indigenous Bourgeoisie"</a>, which is growing signficanlty with Evo Morales continued tenure are President and a growing economy. It highlights the city of El Alto and the Andean Style architecture, which has a unique aesthetic, but uses the house in to generate and create income to help fuel the new buying power of a historically powerless population.<br />
El Alto was also the focus of my study in 2009 where I <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/bolivia-leaving.html" target="_blank">highlighted</a> these very issues. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-77351828298310703242012-01-07T18:02:00.000-08:002012-01-07T18:03:44.180-08:00Kambimoto: Three Years Later<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FjaQUs3qPO0/Twj3I8BP0KI/AAAAAAAAE1w/zws0PQIrxMw/s1600/kambimoto20082011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FjaQUs3qPO0/Twj3I8BP0KI/AAAAAAAAE1w/zws0PQIrxMw/s400/kambimoto20082011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the summer of 2011, I was able to return to Nairobi, as a
team member of Mathare Valley slum-upgrading program. I stopped by the <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/05/pamoja-trust-kambimoto.html">Kambimoto upgrading project</a> that I had
documented in the summer of 2008, and found that it has continued to grow,
adapt, and change. </div>
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The Kambimoto project was a result of many years of diligent
work by Pamoja Trust working with a small slum in the Mathare Valley, north of
Nairobi. The resulting housing was
incremental, where each family started with a basic one bedroom, one-story
space that could eventually be expanded vertically up to three stories. In 2008, the project was still under
construction, although many units had been completed and families had moved in. In 2011, the entire project was still
under development due to lack of funds, but many individual units had been
expanded and the overall space had been transformed significantly.</div>
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Based on observation, about a third of the occupied units
had added at least one story, if not two stories to their units. Additionally, color, and articulation
had begun to appear on many units.
In one case, neighbors worked together on colors, relief, and surface
articulation to add identity and individualization to their homes, while still
maintaining a collective identity.
Gates and fences had been added in a number of cases to porches that
were on ground level. </div>
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Generally speaking, most people followed basic design and
material guidelines as they expanded vertically. In some cases, make shift additions and roofs were cobbled
together with rudimentary materials, alluding to the slums and physical
conditions that many of these families had moved on from. This was a <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/05/control-over-future-growth.html">concern</a> from the beginning
and a reason why the additions were supposed to uniform. Regardless, one of the architects
working on the project remained proud of the project to provide low cost and
accessible housing, but was frustrated that part of it was beginning to look
trashy. Additionally, he mentioned
that one of the biggest challenges was that people didn’t have incomes, and in
many cases were unable to afford any additions or had to depend on very low cost
and low quality materials. </div>
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The public spaces and interstitial spaces are surprisingly
well-kept, clean, and inviting.
Small plants and mini gardens have sprouted up, and because water and
sewer lines were added and are underground, there are now walkways that provide
solid surface which can be cleaned.
The difference in the quality of space in Kambimoto with that of the
informal housing one block away is quite extraordinary.</div>
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The only real criticism people living there have of the
project is that the units were not designed to be able to rent out space. Accessing the stairway requires moving
through the living room, so it makes it very difficult to rent out an upper
room/floor and still maintain privacy.
Fortunately, future projects that are in the works are being designed to
allow the stair to have a separate entrance from the street. Finally, there is not enough space in
the units to allow any businesses of enterprises to operate from inside. Consequently, the ubiquitous street
stalls have popped up in one of the newly widened streets. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WxZxSqHKj0M/Twj3dB67jRI/AAAAAAAAE2g/YM34AbgIXko/s1600/IMG_7688.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WxZxSqHKj0M/Twj3dB67jRI/AAAAAAAAE2g/YM34AbgIXko/s400/IMG_7688.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Overall, this project continues to be an inspiration and
successful on many levels. It was
great to return and see that units were expanding, and that the entire
community, while still struggling, is maturing and growing.</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13Asheville, NC, USA35.6009452 -82.55401535.4976602 -82.7119435 35.7042302 -82.39608650000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-11189364501387502872011-11-27T15:10:00.001-08:002011-11-27T15:27:09.288-08:00Incremental Upgrading in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3tn0QIirW-I/TtLGHGLEUHI/AAAAAAAAE1M/CxVMQphUYQY/s1600/aerial-kaccha-clusters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3tn0QIirW-I/TtLGHGLEUHI/AAAAAAAAE1M/CxVMQphUYQY/s1600/aerial-kaccha-clusters.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/05/incremental-housing-strategy-by-filipe-balestra-and-sara-goransson/</td></tr>
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An interesting project surfaced on <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/">Dezeen</a> that highlighted an <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/05/incremental-housing-strategy-by-filipe-balestra-and-sara-goransson/">incremental upgrading strategy</a> in Pune, India, which was to be designed to be implemented in other places as well. While the images provide a provocative and compelling new vision of the community, they are basically reorganizing and formalizing what the people and the communities are already doing. It does beg the question if we give ourselves (architects) too much credit for coming up with something new and game changing. <br />
<a name='more'></a>In this case, and for incremental housing in general, architects do well to just understand and build off of what is already existing and how people live their lives. Fortunately, in this scheme, there is vertical flexibility for the types of spaces that can be produced and used, highlighting commercial space on either the bottom or second floor, which is ubiquitous in India slums. I would have liked more information on the process of engagement with the community and costs. I commend the project for getting the basics right, and for <a href="http://www.sparcindia.org/">SPARC </a>and Slum Dwellers International to help move forward this idea of development. The mass customization and focus and attention on the uniqueness of colors detracts from the value of this project. Anyone know how it has progressed and if any units have been built?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/05/incremental-housing-strategy-by-filipe-balestra-and-sara-goransson/</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/05/incremental-housing-strategy-by-filipe-balestra-and-sara-goransson/</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HKjVQm2XzDo/TtLGHe5kdzI/AAAAAAAAE1U/A1dFQc_nEGM/s1600/house-a.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HKjVQm2XzDo/TtLGHe5kdzI/AAAAAAAAE1U/A1dFQc_nEGM/s320/house-a.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/05/incremental-housing-strategy-by-filipe-balestra-and-sara-goransson/</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UANAzZVfUh8/TtLF_JXDR3I/AAAAAAAAE08/e-UKk0OYUn4/s1600/inside-netaji-nagar_sq.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UANAzZVfUh8/TtLF_JXDR3I/AAAAAAAAE08/e-UKk0OYUn4/s320/inside-netaji-nagar_sq.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/05/incremental-housing-strategy-by-filipe-balestra-and-sara-goransson/</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-45523293990577137442011-11-11T18:19:00.001-08:002011-11-11T19:10:14.218-08:00New Incremental Urbanism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Driving down US-19 from Bryson City to Cherokee, NC, there exists a campground that is unique even for Western North Carolina. While it is not uncommon to see RV's with permanent roofs built over them, this particular campground in the small community of Ella was extraordinary because so many of the structures, as well as the community itself, had become permanent.<br />
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Most campgrounds of this sort provide summer havens for people from the deep south. In the summer, they can bring their homes up to the cooler mountains, and then in winter, they can take them back where it is warmer. However, many people now live in this community permanently, as they have found a way to exand their living space while not having to pay the high costs of land and materials typicaly in many houses in Western North Carolina.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Most of the structures originally built to help protect the RV's and provide sheltered outdoor space have been enclosed, expanding what was otherwise, minimal interior living space. Porches, stoops, and benches front the street, while a range of patterns, textures, and materials define the public and private edge. Looking down the street is a very attractive scale and rhythm to this neighborhood. This kind of tight urban fabric is an anomoly in these parts. <br />
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The RV's serve as the orignal framework or core, and the additions have evolved indvidually and over time, likely as people's needs changes, and as they were able to generate capital to add on. For a rural part of North Carolina, it provides a very nice density that I would like to see a lot more of. And far from a regular mobile home park, each home has a very unique character, quality and richness to it. And if necessary, most of these folks could back up a truck to the house, move on, and take their house with them. <br />
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At the entrance is a general store. On site are sports facilities, playgrounds, and the rear of most of the structures face the Tuckaseegee River. It comes very close to a mixed-use, dense, walkable, and architecturally appealing community. Sounds kind of like New Urbanism, right? Except that this one has developed without any architects and is one of the most affordable places in the area. And if offers such a refreshing alternative to bloated, sprawling, gated, and now bankrupt developments that have shredded apart the beautiful North Carolina mountains.<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-26710018480268470242011-10-28T12:57:00.000-07:002011-10-30T18:43:09.972-07:00Design and Social Change in Hale County, Alabama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20k house</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Last year, I took a trip to Hale County, Alabama. My goal was to connect with Pam Dorr, the
director of <a href="http://www.herohousing.org/">HERO</a> (Hale Empowerment
and Revitalization Organization). We
arrived one spring day just in time for lunch, and she suggested we get some
catfish at the local gas station, Mustang Oil. Soon, the four of us has
ballooned into 10 people. We ran into
the local judge, and some long term and short term locals soon joined us,
including a filmmaker from Maine, and a psychiatrist from California who has
set up a live-in farm as an alternative to an institution. Heading into the gas station, it seemed like catfish
and oil would make strange bedfellows.
But, I was quick to discover it was a good one, and that Hale County was
full of such unlikely combinations. </span></div>
<a name='more'></a>Greensboro and Hale County are world famous within the architecture community
because of the presence of the <a href="http://apps.cadc.auburn.edu/rural-studio/Default.aspx">Rural Studio</a>,
an offshoot of Auburn University’s School of Architecture. With whimsical forms, strange materials, and
gung-ho idealistic students, the Rural Studio has transformed many lives
through a modern vernacular. But, while
folks from Asia, Australia, and Africa have come to visit their works, many
residents of Hale County don’t even know it exists.<br />
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One unique project that, up until recently, had been a
partnership between HERO and the Rural Studio is the 20K house. The idea came from a federal loan for
$20,000 that was given to residents to help them build a house. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any other
money to do it, so while Pam was an outreach student, she began to wonder if a
respectable house could be built for $20,000.
Most other architects told her no.
But, she has proven them wrong, as they have now finished eight houses,
each built for $10,000 in materials and $10,000 in labor. </div>
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After the first one, they were accused of reinforcing the
look of poverty and creating “third-world housing.” The favorite material of many architects,
corrugated metal, was clad horizontally over the entire house. This is a material
is that is often used in barns, and other farm buildings. Interestingly enough, Pam said that using a
painted version of it makes a big difference. But, newer 20K models have
addressed that concern and offer a striking variety in terms of forms and
materials. Their size allows them to be built on
otherwise unbuildable sites, and they tread lightly with minimal footings.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxMTtzqFo1Y/TqsHXrR2ujI/AAAAAAAAExM/1YHJ2YKxg0E/s1600/IMG_4710.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxMTtzqFo1Y/TqsHXrR2ujI/AAAAAAAAExM/1YHJ2YKxg0E/s320/IMG_4710.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20k house under construction. It is designed for additions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early 20k house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008 20k house</td></tr>
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Over time, the loan sizes have changed, and Pam + crew are
now working on 40K, 60K, and 80K, houses, trying to not only create a more
diverse neighborhood in terms of income, but also ensuring homeowners can
generate some wealth from their housing.
And let’s face it, living in a 400 square foot can be a difficult thing. But, it can also be a great thing. One resident has gotten a much better paying
job that would afford her to move to a bigger home, but she has decided to
stay.</div>
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Beyond the 20K houses, HERO is doing some pretty awesome
work. They have deeply integrated many
components to serve as incubators for the community. They have recently opened <a href="http://pielab.org/">Pie Lab</a>, a collaboration with <a href="http://www.projectmlab.com/">Project M</a>, to serve as a community hub,
and also a small business incubator.
Pecan roasters is one of the first businesses coming out of it. Much of the housing that HERO builds is through
Youthbuild, training at-risk youth, many of whom are dropouts, to develop a
marketable skill and finish their GED.
Yet, going even further, these youth are also designing the housing, a
la Rural Studio.</div>
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But, this approach seems to go one step further, truly
allowing architecture to serve as a catalyst for social change. Training local youth to be responsible
designers/builders has the potential to be truly transformative, much more so
than educating university students. This
is not to discount the effect of the Rural Studio. I would have loved to have had the education
many of these students have had. Walking
under the supershed in Newbern, they were many works in progress, including a
beautiful truss for a footbridge. Many
of the projects are lived-in and have an age about them that is hard to come
by, as most of the published images are right after projects were built. </div>
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Yet there remains a tension between the spirit and
determination of individuals to drive projects and the capacity of the
community to embrace them and support them longterm. Andrew Freer, the current director describes
addressing these challenges as sustainability with a small ‘s’, meaning the
buildings need to be maintained and supported by the local community over
time. In order to get poor blacks folk
into quality housing, the structural challenges extend far beyond ensuring a
building will stand up. Change is slow
to come to Hale County, and many have an interest in maintaining the existing
social/class/race structure, which is reinforced by the many powerful
institutions and individuals. Most banks
will provide loans to blacks at exceptionally high interest rates, and some local
business owners would rather keep storefronts boarded up and vacant than
renovate them for fears that a black person might open up a business on Main
Street. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_uwk6ucIY0/TqsHcT90nQI/AAAAAAAAEyM/guVAYxwqNf4/s1600/IMG_4741.JPG"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_uwk6ucIY0/TqsHcT90nQI/AAAAAAAAEyM/guVAYxwqNf4/s320/IMG_4741.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DLsG7aX71iE/TqsHcU9BRHI/AAAAAAAAEyE/axGyE1OcmSE/s1600/IMG_4738.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DLsG7aX71iE/TqsHcU9BRHI/AAAAAAAAEyE/axGyE1OcmSE/s320/IMG_4738.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rural Studio outreach project</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But the strength of the Rural Studio seems to be in its
ability to attract committed, innovative, and creative people to area, both
directly and indirectly.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Hale County is
not that big, but its needs are.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> You
would not expect to find such an innovative non-profit developing youth and
housing; a bunch of graphic design kids selling pies and promoting small
business; and a farm, serving as an alternative model to mental institutions.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> But these folks have made Hale County their
home and they are investing a lot in it.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
There is a lot of good stuff happening there, extending far beyond the
rural studio.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> It remains to be seen
whether there is enough room for all these innovative programs and young
do-gooders who are wanting to change the big world to do just that in the small
community Hale County.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> And how much of
it does Hale County need, or even want?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-22066416587355650082011-01-30T07:47:00.000-08:002011-10-28T12:06:02.101-07:00Cairo. Revolutionary Change?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWW3ILl-DI/AAAAAAAAEjo/D1XvMuslU0s/s1600/5c3d9468-9e57-4f98-89b9-3780fcd1f1c1_500.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568022388146567218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWW3ILl-DI/AAAAAAAAEjo/D1XvMuslU0s/s320/5c3d9468-9e57-4f98-89b9-3780fcd1f1c1_500.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%; font-style: italic;">Looking down at Tahrir Square (Source: http://liveblogs.globalnews.ca)<br /></span></div>
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</style>It has been extraordinary to watch the events in Egypt unfold in the last few days. In some ways, it is absolutely shocking to see the extent to which ordinary citizens have shed their fear of the government. Yet, on the other hand, it is amazing that it has taken this long. Having navigated the complete <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/06/cairo-crazy.html">chaos of the city</a>, visited and met citizens living in deep poverty and unimaginable living conditions, and finally watching new cities for the wealthy develop on the outskirts of Cairo, it became clear to me how <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/07/cairo-real-participation-and-change.html">broken Egyptian</a> society had become.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%; font-style: italic;">Beverly Hills development on outside of Cairo</span></div>
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And while the society seemed broken, the culture and individual spirit was not. The capacity of the individual to operate in <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/06/beverly-hills-in-desert-ezbet-el.html">small moves</a> against the larger forces of repression, poverty, and control felt like a mini-rebellion. And so much of this is represented physically in Cairo precisely by where and how people defined their living space. Some neighborhoods generate income by collecting and processing trash in their homes. <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/07/cairo-public-housing-extended-2.html">Unregulated additions</a> and extensions to apartments and public housing have helped people open businesses as well as generate a feeling of upward mobility. Finally, the extreme quest for space has generated some incredible spatial conditions. People found available and affordable space by <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/06/cairo-city-of-dead.html">living in tombs</a> in the city’s largest cemetery while explosive transition of fertile Nile farmlands to vertical slums is one of the only ways the city can absorb the massive migration.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWPg_AgAWI/AAAAAAAAEiw/wgc6err_s9Y/s1600/IMG_7341sm.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568014311145603426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWPg_AgAWI/AAAAAAAAEiw/wgc6err_s9Y/s320/IMG_7341sm.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Giza</span></span></div>
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As the revolution progresses, it is clear that the physical design and condition of the city is having a significant effect on the protests, as well as what is being communicated to the outside world. In a great <a href="http://www.thepolisblog.org/2011/01/five-days-of-anger-revolting-in-modern.html">post on the Polis</a> blog, Danya Al Saleh and Mohammed Rafi Arefin describe Cairo as much more than a stage for rebellion, but as a “tool for rebellion”, with the spaces of the city continually being contested by protestors and government forces. The sprawling boulevards and open spaces were “originally planned in the 1800s to monitor and limit such upheaval, the concentrically organized downtown modelled after the belle-epoque aesthetics of Paris imposed a sort of urban discipline that was to foster the creation of the "modern" and neatly "organized" Egyptian citizen.” In recent days, though, they have allowed a great gathering and convergence of people and voices. And yet, even with the digital space being tightly controlled and almost completely shut down by the government, we are able to watch the events unfold from the balconies of the thousands of apartment buildings that dot the areas. It is from these privelaged vantage points that we are able to witness history.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWRFdlmg4I/AAAAAAAAEjU/VLmN_GIu_O8/s1600/downtowncairoopen.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568016037341201282" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWRFdlmg4I/AAAAAAAAEjU/VLmN_GIu_O8/s320/downtowncairoopen.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 238px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tahrir Square, Ramses intersection and October 6th Bridge</span></span></div>
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But what about the rest of the city? In the neighborhoods where the majority of the Cairo’s citizens live, there are no wide boulevards and open spaces. The streets are often meandering labyrinths where only occasional daylight even penetrates. They may only have a few main entrances connecting to larger roads and thoroughfares. These are areas and neighborhoods that are anything but planned by outside agencies. They are self-planned and evolve incrementally in small moves, instead of large, grand sweeping ones. They are the antithesis of the space of revolution that we are witnessing in Cairo’s main spaces. Large tanks, police vans, and water cannons cannot move through these neighborhoods.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Al Dharb Al Ahmad</span></span></div>
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So, what is going on in these spaces? I have seen very few images, but have heard some disturbing reports. As night fell Friday, reports were that police were being far more brutal in denser neighborhoods where there were not watchful cell phones from up above. But, maybe the maze-like structure of the neighborhoods is actually beneficial to the inhabitants, as they are able to intimately negotiate the space that would be completely foreign to outsiders such as police.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWRKE20TLI/AAAAAAAAEjc/Ugbsblnhbj8/s1600/manshietnasseraerial.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568016116601867442" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TUWRKE20TLI/AAAAAAAAEjc/Ugbsblnhbj8/s320/manshietnasseraerial.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 238px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Aerial, rooftop and street level of Manshiet Nasser</span></span></div>
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This morning, we awake to the news that the police have completely disappeared and that citizens are taking to protecting their own security, goods, and neighborhoods. Checkpoints have been set up to control access to such areas, and maybe in these cases, once again, the design and makeup of such “informal” communities is a benefit and asset. Ironically, these decentralized spaces have often been difficult to police and monitor by outside forces, and often develop deep community ties and relationships. And while the large revolution is being witnessed on the grand boulevards and central avenues, I really want to know what is happening in the small streets and massive slums of the city.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Downtown Cairo</span></span></div>
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Cairo, the collage-city, that is constantly adapting and changing, is forever altered. While the future of Mubarek remains very uncertain, so too does the makeup of the city and the design of the built environment. Previous changes have been relegated to large moves propogated by the rich and powerful, with very small moves necessitated by the poor and powerless, leaving a city that is anything but an example of "<a href="http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/opinion/where-does-urban-harmony-begin">urban harmony</a>". Will the fundamental shift in power that is playing out forever change the makeup and composition of Cairo? Could the future planning and design of Cairo shift to now potentially harness the incredible capacity of the average, ordinary people to bring about a more just city? Hopefully the answers to these questions will come without anymore bloodshed.</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-56257644038384040582010-12-22T11:15:00.000-08:002011-10-28T12:07:04.867-07:00WNC Additions: Mary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJR0iOrngI/AAAAAAAAEfU/THH1UmsA1fM/s1600/axonsm.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553591253484674562" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJR0iOrngI/AAAAAAAAEfU/THH1UmsA1fM/s320/axonsm.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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</style><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 100%;">Mary is currently living by herself, as she and her husband are getting a divorce. Originally, in 1984, they had a three bedroom manufactured/mobile home, but got a larger one still with three bedrooms. During this time, they had two daughters. They added a pool/workout room that now serves as a play space for the grandchildren. Unfortunately, it does not have a heat source and stays closed off in the winter. During this time, they also put a new roof on because they old one leaked. They expanded their porch and began to re-side the entire house. As Mary said, “We wanted to make it into a house.” Two years ago, they remodeled the kitchen. There were plans to remodel the rest of it, but those are on hold because of the pending divorce. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 100%;">They bought their home from a dealer who sold foreclosed houses. It is interesting to think about the notion of transportable homes during this foreclosure crisis. Part of the challenge with the current crisis is that many of the houses are in the suburbs where people are not as interested in living anymore. Entire neighborhoods are deteriorating because no one is living in them, and housing authorities are shifting poorer people to foreclosed homes, producing many challenges and questions. But, if such houses could be moved to different places with greater, and potentially places with greater density, what would the implications be?</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJRCM0F9bI/AAAAAAAAEfE/qLjf4XM_VnY/s1600/IMG_9625%2Bcopy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553590388742550962" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJRCM0F9bI/AAAAAAAAEfE/qLjf4XM_VnY/s320/IMG_9625%2Bcopy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-4098575134458360172010-12-22T10:55:00.000-08:002011-10-28T12:07:23.631-07:00Manufactured Home Alterations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">I have found a number of trends in terms of how people have changed their mobile/manufactured homes. Most people find that they are built cheaply and need to make repairs or remodel, or people just want/need more space. (most of the homes I have been looking at are single-wide, just because it is an easy module to compare).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">Porch. This is obvious, since the house is raised and almost every house I have seen has these. There are variations of open, covered, enclosed, etc:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">End Extension. These are rooms or spaces added on one of the home. Variations include adding another bedroom (which poses circulation challenges), enlarging the end bedroom or living room, or adding a porch. I saw one example where a garage was added on the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">Back Addition. These are typically enlargements or extensions of the main living space, depending on exactly where it is. These kind of slide along the back side, while maintaining a consistent front.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">Siding/Exterior. In many cases where people have added additions, they have put new siding on both the old and new parts of the building, in order to give it a more consistent look, and make it not look like a ‘trailer’ anymore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">New Roof. This is one of the more interesting aspects, as people have often added pitches roofs cover their homes. Sometimes this is because the old roof leaks. In other cases, it helps tie new parts of the house together, creating sheltered exterior spaces and gives a new, and sometimes dynamic form to the house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">Remodeling. Because of the quality of the materials in a mobile/manufactured home (2x2 or 2x4 structure) wall paneling, and other cheap finishes, many people decide to remodel their homes once they get a little more money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;">When all these small incremental changes are added to the original home, it is often difficult to tell whether it ever was a mobile or manufactured home.<br /> </span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-33813065285070685492010-12-22T10:25:00.000-08:002011-10-28T12:08:09.496-07:00Mobile/Manufactured Homes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJF5iDkP_I/AAAAAAAAEd8/bFZ0Ov1xW6Y/s1600/IMG_9724%2Bcopy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553578145197866994" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJF5iDkP_I/AAAAAAAAEd8/bFZ0Ov1xW6Y/s400/IMG_9724%2Bcopy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Manufactured home park in Boone, NC.</span></span><br />
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</style><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 130%;">I spent some time exploring mobile homes in Western North Carolina. Having served as the most effective and extensive affordable housing option in the United States for the past 50 years, I was curious to learn a little more about the uses of mobile homes here, especially since many of them have been adapted and changed. Many people (especially architects) think that manufactured housing is the only way to effectively address the affordable housing crisis in the US. Unfortunately, the past is littered with brilliant architectural minds failing miserably in using mass production to produce well designed, high quality, and affordable homes. (read the excellent book: The Prefabricated Home by Colin Davies).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 130%;">There are many techniques and methods being employed now, and some of the terminology can be a bit confusing. A few of the commonly used terms and their descriptions:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 130%;">Mobile Home (often referred to as trailers): Terminology used to describe factory-built housing building on a chasis and transportable before 1976, when HUD changed its code.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 130%;">Manufactured Home: Same type of home built after 1976 with new HUD code (both of these are one story and come in either single-wides, or double-wides.)</span></li>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJGc4kvJ5I/AAAAAAAAEeM/TddlFVYvB1Y/s1600/IMG_9708%2Bcopy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553578752537995154" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJGc4kvJ5I/AAAAAAAAEeM/TddlFVYvB1Y/s320/IMG_9708%2Bcopy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Manufactured home waiting to be delivered in Boone, NC.</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 130%;">Modular Home: Factory built home that meets or exceeds state and local building codes. (these houses are often indistinguishable from site-built stick frame homes.</span></li>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJGMaNJBzI/AAAAAAAAEeE/6CmGmaa6Jbs/s1600/IMG_9705%2Bcopy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553578469508056882" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/TRJGMaNJBzI/AAAAAAAAEeE/6CmGmaa6Jbs/s320/IMG_9705%2Bcopy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Modular home waiting to be delivered in Boone, NC.<br /><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 130%;">The mobile/manufactured home is actually built on a chassis, that serves as its main structure and allows it be transported. It is then strapped or anchored onto a site and connected to respective plumbing, electricity, etc. On the other hand the modular home is a permanent house, even though it is manufactured on a factory. It is transported on a trailer, but is not built on it. It is picked up off the trailer by a crane and dropped onto a permanent foundation. Typically, there is much higher resale value with a modular home, and of course, it is costs more to build in the first place. On the low end, a modular house can cost $55/SF and go much higher depending on the design and bells and whistles. A mobile/manufactured home will come in around $40/SF. You have a lot more flexibility with modular homes, and can even design it yourself. One salesman told me it only added $800-1000 to the cost of the overall home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 130%;">While mobile/manufactured homes are often the most affordable housing options for people, especially in rural areas like this, stigmas and associations with ‘trailers’ and temporary housing have made it difficult for these types of homes to gain traction in certain areas. See previous posts about Mississippi and temporary Katrina Cottages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">The quality of mobile/manufactured homes has improved over the last few decades.</span></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-60574537435839631382010-03-05T05:39:00.000-08:002011-10-28T12:08:23.729-07:00Haiti: Beyond Building Housing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Seven weeks after the disaster, a number of recent news pieces have highlighted how now is the time to begin shifting people out of the tent camps and into different kinds of housing. This has many merits but inevitably raises lots of questions. One approach that has been advocated by some is trying to get people back into their communities/homesites as soon as possible. It can begin to ween people from the dependency of the foreign aid system. As we have already seen, such camps are not set up to deal with the onset of rains, etc. Additionally, by integrating people back into their communities, they can begin to re-establish social support structures that would likely provide greater resiliency. Of course, this can only happen once the rubble is removed, or the sites are deemed safe, which is a huge challenge. A number of groups are working on this very task, providing many Haitians with some much needed cash.<br />
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Sorting out the land issues, not just in urban areas, but rural areas as well will be incredibly important, as mentioned. While it will be straightforward for some, many people have not been living on land they own. Some may have been living on it illegally or have been renting. How this gets sorted out will be incredibly difficult and important. Based on what little I have heard about it, the land issue may end up hurting those who need it the most, reinforcing distortions in class and power.<br />
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Another challenge is to figure out the most effective type of housing. Once again, the incremental approach seems to make a lot of sense and a number of groups, like the <a href="http://www.iom.int/jahia/jsp/index.jsp">International Organization for Migration</a> and <a href="http://www.chfinternational.org/">CHF International</a> are pushing such ideas, getting people immediate basic shelter, while also allowing it to grow and be added onto. The basic simplicity of this core approach can offer both shelter and structure, and could initially be erected very quickly. Some simple basic materials(cut up shipping container, wire for gabions, paper tubes, etc.) could provide structural support for a minimal roof and security, but then they could double as formwork for more permanent structure later on. Integrated into this is the idea that natural building materials such as the <a href="http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/projects/amu">Alternative Masonry Unit (AMU)</a> and <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2008/03/02/sand-bag-houses-by-mma-architects-3/">sandbags</a> (ground-up rubble) could be infilled as well. Materials could serve multiple functions. Maybe even tweaking the idea of the shipping container... The point is, it wouldn’t take much.<br />
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Another approach is providing the shelter and housing itself. Andres Duany and InnoVida are pushing forward thousands of homes made of a new composite material. InnoVida is <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124170326">proposing</a> to build a factory in Haiti. That is a great idea, give people some work and produce much needed housing. I totally applaud the effort, it is much better than just shipping in a bunch of housing from the US and being done with it. Yet on a deeper level, it highlights the challenge and history that Haiti has faced. It has become a country focused on exports and manufacturing industries such as apparel. The only real benefit most Haitian people have is meager wages, at best. Yet, many are drawn to Port Au Prince for this very reason. And with new composites materials, such a factory will likely have to import much of the materials, limiting the impact.<br />
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So, while I mentioned above that resettling people on their previous homesites is critical, it is also imperative (as many have mentioned) to focus on the <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/02-8">rural development</a> of the country. This would reduce the strain on the city, as well as limit the future ‘pull’ of the urban areas. While Haiti is predominantly rural and close to two-thirds of Haiti’s citizens are farmers, it still imports more than half of all the food is consumes. Even most of the concrete used in Haiti is imported. There are many reasons for this, but the point is that there is great opportunity for this sector to serve the country and the rebuilding in a much greater capacity. For the housing factory, why couldn’t some investment be made to develop more natural materials such as bamboo, sugar cane, jute, etc. that could then be developed into new materials for use in new housing? Easier said than done, but with a little tweaking of all the energy being put into developing new composite materials in the US, a more focused and just approach could be taking place in Haiti.<br />
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As mentioned in the excellent <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/faultlines/2010/02/201021113542380300.html">Al Jazeera clip</a>, it has the opportunity to shift some of the power balance back to Haiti. The clip mentioned self-organization, which is not a term we hear much of in discussing the aid/rebuilding process. There is an image of the big international aid groups and outside experts doing the heavy lifting…Yet, I would argue that the Haitians have already done most of the heavy lifting. There is capacity and this is an opportune time for much of the rebuilding to come from the bottom up. Effective groups such as Partners in Health are helping support such a model.<br />
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And at the end of the day, the results could be even greater than just rebuilding the economy. As Greg Bankoff writes in a great <a href="http://understandingkatrina.ssrc.org/Bankoff/">essay</a>, communities such as those in Port Au Prince are continually facing some sort of disaster and challenge. These “normal, everyday events” very often strengthen individuals as well as communities. Many developing countries lack the expertise and infrastructure to address even small disasters, so they depend on an expertise that is more flexible, affordable, locally adapted, and a grassroots approach to prevent and manage disasters. And this is not at all a bad thing. It is similar to the community-based public health approach, working to strengthen and support existing social, cultural and community structures, not replace them. Such an approach offers many lessons for designers. It also enabled India to deliver an effective relief strategy after the tsunami, effectively refusing foreign aid and even helping neighboring countries. Yet, a more balanced, less technocratic effort can sometimes be very difficult for those of us in more developed countries to see. Working with, but moving beyond physical planning and technological solutions, especially being generated from the outside, could activate and support a much more resilient Haiti. Maybe then, when the inevitable future disasters do occur,Haiti could say, "No Thanks, we've got it covered."</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-13361146913712575532010-02-07T09:09:00.000-08:002011-10-28T12:08:44.015-07:00Incremental vs. Traditional<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</style> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">Some thoughts related to incremental housing vs. traditional approaches in the case of Haiti.
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">1) People could get homes built initially much more quickly because they are building less. However, there would probably need to be as much planning up front. But once, a system or framework is in place, the planning doesn't have to go on and on, it can be tweaked for each place or context....without creating cookie cutter mass produced stuff. That is what is beautiful about it....it can take on a life of its own, and have individuality, culture, context, and place embedded in it without the architects designing it in. Also, like many good projects, there will need to be deep community involvement. Incremental housing would allow such involvement to exist, but keep it more focused and take up less time, which is critical in this case.
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">I am also wondering in haiti's case, if it would be possible to get people to start to rebuild their homes (with some planning) once the rubble has been cleared, etc. and then just wait for the infrastructure to return. They shouldn't have to wait for all the infrastructure to be fixed, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/S274JI0vELI/AAAAAAAADnw/ZcueJLbzpp0/s1600-h/phasing+copy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435554636153950386" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/S274JI0vELI/AAAAAAAADnw/ZcueJLbzpp0/s400/phasing+copy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">2) It would also be designed for flexibility and changes to take place over time, if needs/problems arise, etc. This is not the case with how most buildings are built today. One more formalized strategy such as this is <a href="http://open-building.org/ob/concepts.html">open buiding</a>...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">3)One challenge is that architects and engineers, even banks,etc, all work to design a finished building. There must be a plan, etc. A community leader in India said that when working with poor communities, it can be hard to get support for a project because everyone on the oustide wants a plan. But, poor communities in general don't have plan....they are just hustling to get through the day and make sure all the basics are provided. This is not to say that poor communities can't develop incredible plans, but outside entities need to be more flexible, etc. such as smaller loans, etc. Incremental housing could be interesting if you begin to think about it under a micro-financing possibility as well. But, these larger changes are hard to come by and pose great difficulties....</span></div>
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<br />4) Another challenge for it work well, is that people would have to work within some sort of guidelines and rules as their house progresses and gets built. Communities that are effectively organized can do this, but with the situation in haiti, it might prove to be a challenge. But, getting a little but of regulation in there instead of trying to regulate all parts of the building process would be a huge advantage. I think we have over-regulated many parts of our built environment here in the US. So, less regulation is not bad, it just has to be strategic.</span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-91232140472158944242010-01-26T17:16:00.000-08:002011-10-28T12:13:31.702-07:00Incremental Housing in Haiti<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the midst of all the devastation in Haiti, it is hard to imagine thinking about next steps, when I feel like i haven't even been able to process the initial event. Regardless, in thinking about how to rebuild, many ideas and conversations I have been having come back to the idea of incrementality. I decided to utilize this blog again to see what discussion this may trigger. Also, please check out the good work going on at wired.com. They have a great discussion about issues in Haiti http://haitirewired.wired.com/<br />
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It seems that intentionally planning projects to be incomplete, offers many advantages over those that are designed to be built all at once, namely that of time and money. Additionally, because most people in places like Haiti are already building incrementally (pay as you go), this approach offers a more potentially culturally sensitive and contextual approach. Finally, incremental growth may offer the greatest opportunity to shift the large scale redevelopment to one that is more sustainable, inclusive, and weighted more towards the bottom up approach than the top-down. However, as with any project as this scope, the devil is in the details…<br />
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Having visited the <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/10/chile-quinta-monroy.html">Quinta Monroy </a> project mentioned in an earlier post and spoken with residents, I do think it is a fantastic example of how to rethink housing/architecture in areas and times of scarce resources. I do want to make the point, though, that if many people had their choice, and the resources, they would prefer a finished house. This was precisely the case with a follow-up project ELEMENTAL did in Santiago called <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html">Lo Espejo</a>. Regardless, the strength in the Quinta Monroy (and other projects) came from a close partnership with the residents and the architects. Without the active leadership and support of people who were already demanding new and better housing conditions and the sensitivity of the architects to listen and think outside the box, the resulting buildings would have been irrelevant. It worked because the architects and the residents served as equal partners.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/S1-YIruyYVI/AAAAAAAADmU/TuWgbpZbk-E/s1600-h/QMupgrading.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431226950577447250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/S1-YIruyYVI/AAAAAAAADmU/TuWgbpZbk-E/s320/QMupgrading.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 109px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
I think the greatest draw of incremental housing is the ability to do a whole lot with a whole little, using time to one’s advantage. This is particularly important in the case of Haiti where there is such a larger number of people needing new housing (although not necessarily new communities). The idea (not that different from site and services projects that became popular in the 1970’s) is to build a starter house (core). This would allow the most basic and immediate necessities (structure, water, sanitation, etc.) to be taken of, which often are not during self-building and many development practices in places like Haiti. This is essential on both a macro (neighborhood) and micro (each individual building). Once this is taken of, it can provide a pattern of framework in which families can add onto and expand whenever more resources (internal or external) become available. The initial first half of the house in Quinta Monroy is built and sized to withstand earthquakes in Chile’s active northern coastal region. It also structurally supports any new additions that will be made, offering a standard of safety well into the future. The same goes for the bathrooms and kitchens; they were sized to support the home once it was completely built out. This project is only able to work because of clear parameters of when and where people cannot build. There is bound to be a lot of money thrown at the reconstruction effort in Haiti, and we can only hope that it is gets distributed well. By intentionally not completing every house, resources can go further.<br />
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Another effective example of this idea is a project coordinated by the <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2008/05/pamoja-trust-kambimoto">Pamoja Trust</a> in Nairobi, Kenya. This project trained local members (with a focus on women, partnering with Slum Dwellers International) in various building crafts to erect the project. They only had money for one floor, but it was designed for two more floors to be added vertically. They even built the stairs up to the third floor as part of the starter house, so as to minimize construction disruptions on the already establish family.<br />
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Pamoja Trust was also exploring other ideas that would be pertinent to Haiti’s reconstruction, trying to link both immediate and long-term recovery options. For some of the poorest people, they had proposed a building erected quickly and affordably out of earthen blocks. At the corners, they proposed arranging the block so that it eventually would serve as formwork for reinforced concrete columns as money become available. I think this is particularly important as there seems to always be a disconnect between the immediate housing needs and long term solutions, as was exhibited by the case of the Katrina Cottages in Mississippi. They are now left with thousands of trailers. In Haiti and other places, it will be large tent cities, erected far from existing communities.<br />
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To move beyond the failures of sites and services, much greater emphasis has to be given to the involvement of future residents, local contextual conditions, and future growth possibilities as homes/values increase. Additionally, the initial starter house must be able to work on its own even before additions are made to it. Another beautiful thing about the Quinta Monroy project is that it gained a whole new level of contextualization and plurality over time, in a way that could have never been planned by the architects.<br />
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Finally, one of the richest components of incremental housing is its potential to put power and capacity back into the hands of the people themselves. While involvement in the design process is essential, so to is involvement in the continuing building of the homes. While not everyone has the ability or time or resources to continually work on their homes, many do. Additionally, people can choose what the best use of the initial house should be. Many would probably choose to build out a store, or some income generating space. As basic items are essential for the regeneration of communities, small stores seem to be an integral part of rebuilding Haiti and its economy. Income generation seems to be incredibly important and will not make every Haitian dependent on the millions of dollars of foreign aid that seems to be having trouble reaching them. Additionally, these income-producing spaces could eventually serve to upgrade the rest of their house. This was the case of the <a href="http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/bolivia-el-alto-eloy-a..">Altamiras </a>in El Alto, Bolivia (.), as they were able to transition from a small one-room adobe house to a much larger six-room house, all on the same plot of land.<br />
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There are certainly many other issues and complexities that exist in this particularly difficult situation. The future on the ground realities are far from what most of us could imagine. Some pitfalls of this approach (based on sites and services experiences) are the allocation of properties to politically connected people as well as houses achieving a level/standard that people could eventually not afford. Both of these had the effect of not even reaching those who such projects were intended to serve. Long-term maintenance issues always pose a significant challenge for projects such as this.<br />
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The scale of this recovery is massive and it might be difficult to pursue an incremental approach for all the people that need it. A lot of creative and new ideas are going to essential to this process. But, it does seem that a close initial partnership to get the basic things right at first, could allow for much more extensively sustainable and empowered communities on down the road and for growth to happen the way it is meant to, organically. Finally, it could ensure that the aid money is used effectively, to spark the people and the communities, without overrunning them. The capacity is there.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-78504794168752642632009-07-07T19:43:00.000-07:002011-10-28T12:16:03.196-07:00Mississippi: Future Trends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQIev-VBxI/AAAAAAAABt4/jUOJAoS8zts/s1600-h/IMG_9405.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355915181217351442" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQIev-VBxI/AAAAAAAABt4/jUOJAoS8zts/s320/IMG_9405.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Look closely, there is a still a Katrina Cottage there</span></span>
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</span></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQIeEuy3NI/AAAAAAAABto/rCYIZuxZTu8/s1600-h/IMG_9433.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355915169609473234" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQIeEuy3NI/AAAAAAAABto/rCYIZuxZTu8/s320/IMG_9433.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Rebuilding a bit differently. A whole new aesthetic is developing.....</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11;">I also spoke with Ben Brown, who works with Placemakers, an urban design/planning firm who has been engaged in the process in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mississippi</st1:place></st1:state>. He described some of the challenges that are now being exposed on the gulf coast. As they have had a severe housing crisis there for the last three years, they have a jump on what the rest of the country is experiencing now. The strange thing is that while most would consider that the Katrina Cottages were only temporary housing, and then envisioned to be used as storage sheds detached from the new main house, they are now marketing them as middle class housing. Their premise is that if people still want high quality housing that has a sense of scale and style, they will have to downsize bigtime, and they think the Katrina Cottage is just the way to do that. This whole endeavor has shifted from some emergency solutions on the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Gulf</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Coast</st1:placetype></st1:place> to a new type of housing to be marketed across the country. And it just may have a chance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11;">But, the resistance to such solutions are very strong. Communities like to have control, but there are many things that are out of their control such as labor, material costs, financing, and insurance costs. So, they exercise control by setting minimum sizes of homes. But, it will be interesting to see how attitudes are to such small low cost options after all the people living beyond their means in large houses weather this economic crisis. They may very well be needing such a place to live. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-60130475068705357692009-07-07T19:29:00.000-07:002011-10-28T12:17:21.578-07:00Mississippi: Prefabrication?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQFZLtxT3I/AAAAAAAABtQ/CDU0PomfYgE/s1600-h/IMG_9516.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355911787049996146" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQFZLtxT3I/AAAAAAAABtQ/CDU0PomfYgE/s320/IMG_9516.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Two different approaches, manufactured home (front) newly designed/built from GCCDS (back)</span></span>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQFZ9jVvFI/AAAAAAAABtg/MJCnTFhneDU/s1600-h/IMG_9509.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355911800428018770" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQFZ9jVvFI/AAAAAAAABtg/MJCnTFhneDU/s320/IMG_9509.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">East Biloxi. <br /></span></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQFZX_k10I/AAAAAAAABtY/Rj9URvkcccc/s1600-h/IMG_9507.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355911790345901890" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQFZX_k10I/AAAAAAAABtY/Rj9URvkcccc/s320/IMG_9507.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">New housing in East Biloxi (designed by Marlon Blackwell in partnership with AFH and GCCDS)</span></span><br />
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One of the groups doing solid work in Mississippi is the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, working in East Biloxi, one of the hardest hit neighborhoods. It was poor and working class and New Urbanists designs had broad sweeping, new beautiful designs that would replace Vietnamese neighborhoods with new parks. They have been working closely with homeowners to design and build new houses, and there prices are coming in at $65-85/sf (most definitely excluding the Marlon Blackwell designed house). These are hard costs only. I brought up the Katrina Cottages to one of the architects. He kind of laughed, citing the costs for such a small space, and without any user involvement in the process. They are saving some money with volunteer labor. The clear reality is that prefabrication has never really addressed the affordability issue. But then, on the flip side, some argue that pre-fab only addressees the cost issue, not the architectural issue. If stick built can pull it off, then why not?<br />
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Regardless, I highly commend the work and experimentation taking place on the Gulf Coast. Unfortunately, our institutions (FEMA and local governments) don’t have the foresight or initative to look into the future and imagine creatively how to deal with these challenges in the right way. But, fortunately, there are great minds thinking and testing creatively how to deal with the problem at hand. Bruce and his crew have developed a number of models at Cottage Square. Some are pre-fab, some are stick built. Even the modes of pre-fab differ, as they have developed a new company to specifically look at new ways of producing such model themselves.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-82097533003909374402009-07-07T19:00:00.000-07:002011-10-28T12:19:11.864-07:00Mississippi: Long Term Solutions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQAeVp5r2I/AAAAAAAABtI/fBK8ls0woTQ/s1600-h/IMG_9472.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355906378059329378" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQAeVp5r2I/AAAAAAAABtI/fBK8ls0woTQ/s320/IMG_9472.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Diamondhead HFH Cottage Demonstration</span>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQAePGmoBI/AAAAAAAABtA/o_f1XglL6V8/s1600-h/intcollage.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355906376300666898" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlQAePGmoBI/AAAAAAAABtA/o_f1XglL6V8/s320/intcollage.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 160px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Interior showing addition of living room</span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP-aNvdy3I/AAAAAAAABs4/Pr1GStI8qO0/s1600-h/tagandcrane.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355904108192451442" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP-aNvdy3I/AAAAAAAABs4/Pr1GStI8qO0/s320/tagandcrane.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 214px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Installation of prefabricated tag unit.
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</span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP-ZSbdncI/AAAAAAAABsw/p15fAGxyMHo/s1600-h/IMG_9428.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355904092270861762" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP-ZSbdncI/AAAAAAAABsw/p15fAGxyMHo/s320/IMG_9428.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Katrina Cottages are sold by Lowe's.
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</span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP-YqJ8AlI/AAAAAAAABso/RojjZ4UNri8/s1600-h/IMG_9396.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355904081459937874" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP-YqJ8AlI/AAAAAAAABso/RojjZ4UNri8/s320/IMG_9396.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">New homes at Cottage Square.
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</span><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CLuke%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><o:smarttagtype name="State" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CLuke%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CLuke%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11;">Enterprise Community Partners will find occupants to move into the 8 units in Cottage Square. I don’t see how the occupants are going to last. Will the people living there be temporary? Can someone last permanently in a space like that? It is not that different from a cheap studio apartment in a city, but this is Ocean Springs. Some of the larger units might be viable. If they go to the trouble of making sure the trailers can be permanent, but if the space is not livable enough to be permanent, then what is the point? Spending time in such a small unit, one realizes that it wouldn’t work for the typical American family. Maybe in other countries, but not in the US. Consequently, the first question is: “Well, what about adding on?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11;">The main challenge is that communities and neighborhoods are vehemently opposed to such ‘trailer’ housing, fearing their property values will drop. They don’t want mobile homes nearby. And since the Katrina Cottage is on a trailer, it is considered mobile. The trailer and the scale are the kickers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11;">I met with Jorge Quintero, who is working for FEMA’s Long Term Community Recovery program, and he is trying to figure out how to deal with those specific challenges. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, they have just completed a demonstration project in Diamondhead to explore viability of longer term housing. They took a two bedroom Mississippi Cottage (728 SF) and added a factory built 196 SF module for a completed total of 924 SF. The module was added at the front the house, offering a full living room, and giving the visual impression of a larger house. All of this was added to permanent foundations. The house inside certainly felt livable and there was adequate space to serve the needs of a family with one child. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11;">But, the kicker with this thing is the price. Again. It was very hard to get any real figures from anyone about the pricing of all these things. Bruce said he didn’t how much the original Cutsano cottage cost,, maybe around $100,000. That would make it about $285/SF. The ones they are selling at Lowe’s cost $65/SF. However, that is just materials. Lowe’s just send the materials, not even pre-cut. You still have to hire a professional builder and install the foundation and air conditioning, etc. I would guess at the end of the day, the cost is getting up to at least $150/SF. The two bedroom <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Mississippi</st1:state></st1:place> cottages seem to cost around $40-50,000. The cost of the addition alone was $70,000 (not including land costs). Everyone says that, well it is the first one, so it is going to be more expensive. But it is still coming in around $150/SF.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 11;">Once again, the crazy thing about all of this building is the costs of it. And the costs probably have more to do with all the codes, standards, expectations of housing now. And because of this, there are crazy complex modes of financing to allow poor people to obtain such housing. So, the real challenge in such housing is financing. And we have seen the problems of all it recently with bad mortgages, poor credit, people wanting things beyond their means. This is certainly a problem that bears responsibility with the individuals as well as the financial institutions and governments. My interest is more in a design realm, and how design can reduce the dependency on the all the external conditions. So, the question remains, can starting small and building incrementally address some of these problems? Yes. It seems to be able to reduce the cost at the beginning, because it is smaller. It can’t be too small, though, and what is too small will depend on the site context. One could make the argument that it is more important to get into a house of your own, even though it may be a little bit smaller. You have a mortgage you can handle. Maybe it will be an investment and work, maybe not. The clear reality of the housing market is that it is really volatile, and you’ve got to be able to weather all ends. If the economy and housing market tank, then you’ve still got your house because it wasn’t foreclosed on, and you can just delay your addition once the market kicks up. This can also relate very closely to personal issues such as losing a job, etc. And then, when you can pull off the addition or expansion, it will be easier because you will have collateral and you can borrow off of your existing building. And if it was designed with some forethought, it will not cost near as much to make the addition, such a preframing, etc. And limiting the amount of choice people have would probably be a good thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-28618223139822797742009-07-07T18:29:00.000-07:002011-10-28T12:20:14.171-07:00Mississippi. Temporary vs. Permanent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP6W4rhcTI/AAAAAAAABsQ/AHQzwD0JujM/s1600-h/IMG_9481.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355899652952650034" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP6W4rhcTI/AAAAAAAABsQ/AHQzwD0JujM/s320/IMG_9481.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP6XN_k3wI/AAAAAAAABsY/PmYNWEVXqNc/s1600-h/IMG_9500.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355899658673905410" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlP6XN_k3wI/AAAAAAAABsY/PmYNWEVXqNc/s320/IMG_9500.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxdWZ0tMU5JSR6QXsW47KC8kBVbDqARIe5JzU4C5tJUIc_pb98Fb8NUyQmUvVze41yewtKkQpGawLRpk-0nxw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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One of the interesting components about the Katrina Cottages is the questions it raises about temporary vs. permanent housing. Of course, the original FEMA trailer and mobile homes that were provided were certainly seen only as temporary housing. I don’t need to go into detail about how poorly these were planned and built. Not only were many people forced out the trailers because of toxic formaldehyde issues, there was no plan at all with what to do with them AFTER people got back into permanent housing. In fact, they are now selling most of them for scrap. <br />
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And while the Katrina Cottage didn’t actually look like a trailer, its scale was such that it was seen as something temporary. And the house was actually mounted on a trailer. The plan was for these to serve as temporary housing to be put on site while people rebuilt their houses. There was no real long term plan for it. Most of the Cottages were produced in Mississippi through their receipt of a $270 million from the Department of Homeland Security Alternative Housing Pilot Program. This particular program, under the direction the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has produced about 3000 “Mississipp Cottages” (not be confused with Louisiana Cottages) that served a very useful purpose. There were supposed to be three models produced:<br />
Park Model: 387 SF one bedroom<br />
Mississippi Cottage: 728 SF one bedroom and 840 SF two bedroom<br />
Eco-Cottage: A variation that has more focus on green and energy efficient materials.<br />
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There are now eight Park Models at Cottage Square. In order to prove their viability as permanent housing, they have been removed from the original chasis and dropped onto permanent foundations. But walking into these, one feels like you are entering a miniaturized mobile home. The linoleum floor bounces, the kitchen has to low quality fake cabinets, and the furniture arrangement feels awkward. Additionally, the space just feels different. It is a much harsher space than the original Katrina Cottage, which was architect designed. This product had been streamlined through a factory to be mass produced. It felt like it had lost its soul. To get a house done right at that scale, the skills of an architect are desperately needed to make the size and quality of space work. Using the traditional streamlined systems that focus purely on mass production will only lessen its quality. <br />
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Meanwhile, hundreds of Mississippi Cottages are awaiting a yet to be determined fate a local staging yard. It is quite a scene.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-52414785114967238992009-07-06T18:42:00.000-07:002011-11-05T08:50:20.778-07:00Mississippi: Katrina Cottages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlKpTbLlxnI/AAAAAAAABrg/QDC7yv0vJLk/s1600-h/STA_9380.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355529058075919986" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlKpTbLlxnI/AAAAAAAABrg/QDC7yv0vJLk/s320/STA_9380.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic;">Cottage Square in Ocean Springs, MS</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic;">The original Katrina Cottage designed by Marianne Cutsano</span></span>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlKpTl2O9tI/AAAAAAAABrw/DjDiVIgRZXc/s1600-h/parkintcollage.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355529060939134674" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_czteD57iy60/SlKpTl2O9tI/AAAAAAAABrw/DjDiVIgRZXc/s320/parkintcollage.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 232px; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic;">Mississippi Cottage
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to learn more about the Katrina Cottage. Developed out of the New Urbanist charrettes after the storm, it is one of the few decent examples of architecture/planning that I think has come out of the process. It is something that has actually gone to scale and is being put to use. Designed as an alternative to a FEMA trailer that was built and looked better, it was an option many people could be more comfortable with and something people felt a little more up to the standards that one would expect out of our country. Digging into it has been interesting and revealed much about American’s approach to housing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">One interesting location where one can track the progress and development of the Katrina Cottage is at <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Cottage Square</st1:address></st1:street> in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Ocean Springs</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">MS</st1:state></st1:place>. There, architect Bruce Tolar has developed a series of designs and created a small community. Having been involved since the beginning with the charrettes led by New Urbanists to look at how communities could redevelop, he has continued to champion the Katrina Cottage as an model for gulf coast recovery, but also for many middle class Americans. The original one was designed by Marianne Cutsano, an architect from <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">New Jersey</st1:state></st1:place>. It is about 345 SF. The space is quaint, but functional and pretty versatile. It has a very small kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, that has four beds in the form of two bunk beds. She has since teamed up with Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse to sell them directly to consumers. At <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Cottage Square</st1:address></st1:street> is also the Lowe’s Cottage. Bruce has built two other buildings, one of which serves as his office and the other has been converted to a hair salon and actually works pretty well. His business sell floor plans of these ranging from 360 SF to 1825 SF. There is a mix of site and factory built houses there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007397565035086943.post-15447379540205469972009-01-12T20:54:00.000-08:002011-11-05T08:53:29.205-07:00New Orleans. Rethinking Poverty?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Started, but unfinished</span></span>
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</style><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">And that opportunity after the storm to rethink and tackle poverty in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> in a new way? Ummmm. Yes, it is a catastrophic failure on a national level, but on a local level as well, with endemic corruption that could probably rival many places I have visited within the last year. Consequently, for a city that was almost completely inundated, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:city> is being rebuilt piece by piece with heroic efforts from tons of people.<o:p></o:p></span> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Local business in Lower 9th ward that serves some mean chicken
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">But, zooming out and thinking about this form a larger scale, is this really the best we can do? Is Global Green and Make it Right the best we have to offer? They make look, sound, and smell different, but at the end of the day, they seem like more of the same. Cost overruns and excessive technologies bump up the initial costs of housing for those who need it the most. High profile figures do their best to give money and wield their influence, yet at the end of the day, all of this is being subsidized and built in vulnerable areas. Housing was not the only thing destroyed, livelihoods were as well. If the housing is built, but the means to support those are not redeveloped, then the pattern of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:city> will be repeated all over again, this time without a storm. Ronald Lewis, who is a lower 9<sup>th</sup> ward resident is fairly critical of the Make it Right project precisely because it is happening from outside the community. And because it is happening from outside the community, it stifles many possibilities for the community to actually take action and develop something that is of their true direction. It reminds of something someone described as ‘New Democracy,’ where people and communities are actively engaged in participation, they are asked their opinions, they are listened to, but at the end of the day, the end result is still the same, determined by those who set up the process in the first place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The replacements of the public housing projects are reinterpreted in areas such as <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">River</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Garden</st1:placetype></st1:place>, built and defined by a prescribed notion of style, space, and livelihood made to look like a nice neighborhood under the mantra of HUD’s Hope IV program. Typically, these are mixed income, and the math NEVER lines up. Poor people get displaced, not only from housing units, but neighborhoods and networks as well.
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">River Garden
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">So, how then, do you really help jumpstart a community such as the lower 9<sup>th</sup> ward, and then allow it go on its own? Still working on that one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">But, there are many small scale efforts that are trying to get to the point. One of the projects within the Make It Right project was the Kieran Timberlake house. One of the architects described a much more holistic intention and approach with this particular model. The house is a prototype designed to transition from stick built construction to off-site fabrication, where a self sustaining local industry of component fabrication that could be maintained after the 9th Ward and surrounding areas are rebuilt. Integrating broader social fabric and conditions into the process is a pretty good way to think about. And allowing the house to be easily customizable to allow the project to grow quickly seems like a good approach as well. This project seems to offer interesting ideas, but I have a fear many initial principles had been lost and it may remain as a one-off project?
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</span></span><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Kieran Timberlake's Make it Right project</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Another innovative example was the Project Home Again. This project is buying up people’s old flooded homes as they are and then selling them affordable new housing. As a group having the capital, they are able to invest more money into the houses and then resell them once there may be a demand in the area. Otherwise, most homeowners in this neighborhood would not be able to afford renovating their houses, much less be able to sell it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Project Home Again
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<st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Tulane</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype></span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> has been very actively involved in the rebuilding, offering great bits of fresh thinking and young, idealistic, and hopeful creative minds and bodies to get down and dirty. Their work through the <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype> has provided a number of wonderful examples and additions to contribute to the new identity of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:city>. And there are countless quiet heroes working tirelessly on the ground, often in the midst of seemingly insurmountable odds. My host and good friend, who is a Rose fellow, is working hard to ensure that green can be affordable and accessible and understandable to not only low income residents, but low income housing developers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">So, while much of my commentary about <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:city> has been very critical, I do leave very hopeful, because this was one place where I felt that some of the problems we are now facing are going to change. This old guard, this old way of doing things, this status quo that has messed up things so bad as in the case of New Orleans, won’t last forever. And having met tons of young, energetic, optimistic, creative, and critical young minds and doers gives me great hope for what is to come. And I think the election of Obama was the first major step in that transition. And, as in many other places I have visited this year, the most vulnerable people persevere, move forward, and shape and build their environment to the best of their abilities, in spite of all the shit thrown in their faces. It is much easier to write and think about these issues from a distance, than trying to solve it and address it on the ground, everyday. I just basically looked and listened. So, mad props to all those quiet people DOING, trying so hard to offer new solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Throughout the Lower 9<sup>th</sup> Ward, there are many signs that say “Roots Run Deep Here.” I finally really understand it. After seeing Trombone Shorty at Tipitino’s and dancing down the streets of Treme Sunday in a Second Line, I have realized how special this place really is. While I returned to back to my home country, New Orleans still felt like as rich and engaging city as any in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Roots run deep</span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Second line</span></span>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5