Destigmatizing Manufactured Housing

Stereotypes about manufactured housing are stifling a robust source of affordable housing. This is what Zachary Lamb, Jason Spicer, and Linda Shi argue in The Conversation, pointing out that “many people, including urban planners and affordable housing researchers, see manufactured housing parks as problems” rather than one solution to the housing crisis.

The authors outline and debunk four major stereotypes about mobile homes:

• “Manufactured housing is shoddy:” In fact, manufactured homes have to meet federal safety standards, and “Many quality problems associated with manufactured housing arise from home installation, park maintenance and infrastructure issues.”
• Manufactured housing is exploitative: While land leases can put residents at the mercy of landlords, as we have covered before, Resident Owned Communities offer a model that puts ownership and control in the hands of the people who live in the parks.
• Lack of density: The density of mobile home parks is often higher than surrounding neighborhoods, and 61 percent of manufactured housing is located in urban areas.
• Mobile home parks are isolated: While this is in some cases true, the authors point out that “this pattern applies to most U.S. residential neighborhoods built since World War II, including gated communities and cul-de-sacs,” and mobile home parks are often further isolated by local zoning regulations.

The article outlines the real obstacles to manufactured housing: an eagerness on the part of local officials to convert the land to “better” uses, the purchase of mobile home parks by investors, climate change and extreme weather, and aging infrastructure.

Some states are implementing solutions to make manufactured housing communities more sustainable, resilient, and affordable. At the federal level, “The Biden administration’s 2022 housing plan includes extensive support for manufactured housing parks.” The authors suggest coupling current efforts with legislation that expands tenant protections and supports opportunities for resident-owned and cooperative models to support more stable and resilient communities.