I’m actually pro-container housing, but for different reasons than these capitalist pig-dogs. They’re portable, easily customizable with the right know-how (easy to add expansions, and to move around different units to change the layout) and reuses the hollow remnants of this capitalistic hellscape for something worthwhile.
I agree, practically in every scenario where we see dystopian things happening, the underlying problem is capitalism as opposed to technology being abused by it.
I did a university project 10 years ago, “design an affordable environmentally friendly home”.
My idea was to reuse containers, at the time they were relatively cheap. Like practically free even.
My research results were quite disappointing though. Redesigning the containers was neither cost effective or environmentally friendly.
I wonder if that’s changed in the past decade?
Can you elaborate on that? Structurally they’re quite a bit sturdier than typical residential construction. You need doors and windows, but that’s a matter of cutting holes with a plasma torch. You can use 2x2 and foam board on the inside, and partially bury them in earth for the bulk of insulation, while running ducting, etc. under a raised floor. You certainly have limited space layouts–a CalKing bed ain’t fitting–but that’s not necessarily a deal breaker.
Personally, I lean more towards Quonset huts for inexpensive and durable construction.
I am glad Zizek’s documentary made that scene from They Live so popular.
lol yeah
The problem with housing is not the cost of the house itself, is the zoning laws that limits the amount of housing that can be built close to workplaces and where people wants to live. Just let construction companies built residential buildings, duplexes and other denser housing that single family detached houses and prices are going to go down.
People generally want that suburban ideal, of a four bedroom house, two car garage, a front and backyard… Zoning would be needed to require housing to be denser, rather than allowing sprawl.
Private contractors also prefer building single family homes because they get paid way more to do 50 individual houses than put up an apartment that houses 50.
We aren’t here because people are stupid. We are here because this is where all the incentives align.
Sure, absolutely. That’s also why you see “luxury” developments popping up everywhere; they can make cosmetically nicer houses that have a higher profit margin, while not spending significantly more than a more modest house.
But, again, this is why you need zoning to restrict sprawl.
Mass produced shipping container housing might not be a bad idea though if governments can fund it. As long as they have consistent design requirements factored in (electricity, water, and sewage hookups), a place to set up that hasn’t been NIMBY’d, and offered free to the people, I’d be all for it.
Let’s end the housing crisis. Let’s end homelessness. It isn’t impossible.
We have houses already. We have enough houses to house everyone, it’s just not profitable to do so.
I live in an an area with a lot of empty houses. A lot of those houses are not fit for human habitation. Someone dies, the house gets tied up in probate, the kids don’t want to live in the area–nor do most other people–and so the house that was already in disrepair degrades more. And, TBH, moving homeless people to rural areas that have a lot of abandoned homes would make it harder for them to access social services.
Yeah, we have the houses. Just not where the homeless people are.
