Prefab is less wasteful, green and affordable? Not according to Chad Ludeman, who has taken the pulse of the prefab field and found it wanting.
"He disputes most of the claims made by those promoting modern prefab...:
1. Prefab is more Affordable
2. Prefab produces less Waste
3. Prefab takes less Time
4. Prefab is more "Green"
He rips into each of these and makes some very good points. However Chad has a real advantage in his timing; prefab costs are fixed, with high capital costs and relatively constant labour costs. Four years ago a carpenter, if you could find one, earned $70K a year; they don't now. A conventional builder needs little more than a pickup truck and a nail gun to get into business, so in hard times the prefab companies cannot compete. In the last housing recession just about every prefab company in the States and Canada went bankrupt because of this, and it is likely to happen again."
FULL STORY: Prefab is Not the Answer to Affordable, Modern and Green Homes
Commentary: New Bill Holds Key to Solving US Housing Crisis. We Just Have to Pass It.
Two bills currently moving through Congress could make mass production of prefabricated, affordable housing possible on a large scale.
Colorado Cities Seek to Address Housing Crisis With Modular Housing, STR Rules
Cities are incentivizing more affordable housing types and limiting permits for short-term rentals in an effort to keep housing affordable for residents.
Lessons on the Future of Prefab Housing from Japan
When it comes to prefabricated housing, Japan is far ahead of the rest of the world. Will techniques from Japan's efficient modular home manufacturers inform a growing prefab industry in the United States?
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie