Futurology

1804 readers

140 users here now

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

106

The UN is testing a 3D printer it says can build small modular homes, with the smallest single-room units costing just $1,000. (newatlas.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

35 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 38 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

3D Printing threatens to do the job

The modern housing crisis isn't a consequence of construction labor shortages or even construction labor costs. The primary hindrance to affordable housing is proximate real estate available for development.

Unless you can find a way to print more soil or to automate the pipping and road infrastructure that connects units, these tools will mostly benefit developers in the position to speculate on real estate bought decades in advance of new municipal infrastructure.

At $1,000 per module they offer solutions to homelessness in western countries.

Where do you put the $1000 unit once you've built it? On a $300k lot?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I mean, where I live, there's definitely a construction labour bottleneck.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm watching big chunks of my neighborhood go from one-story ranch houses on half-acre lots to three-story units on postage stamp lots. But I'm also watching the cost of this housing skyrocket, because the units are kept independent and free-standing rather than being built as connected blocks with shared insulation, electric, plumbing, and AC.

Consequently, a street that used to sell in the $100k-250k range is putting houses on the market for $600k-$800k. The issue isn't rate of construction, its the availability of vacant real estate. The solution isn't to maximize efficiency of land use, its to build luxury properties that can be flipped to rental companies and speculators.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Well, I don't know where you are, but I actually know of plenty of lots for sale near me. I'm sure that's not our issue.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

In many cities (thinking of Toledo OH) you can snag free lots.

They are zoned for single family houses only, which would cost $100k-200k to build, with a market value of maybe $50k

And nobody wants to change the zoning to allow 3d printed shanty towns.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

In many cities (thinking of Toledo OH) you can snag free lots.

You can also snag a lot of cheap vacant units.

And nobody wants to change the zoning to allow 3d printed shanty towns.

Developers would love to print disposable housing that needs to be abandoned and rebuilt every 20 years or so. The trick is that they want to sell these things for a big markup. They don't want to flip a $1000 unit at cost.