Hippodrome to host modular housing for the homeless
Modular housing is to go up on the old Blue Bonnets land, but it’s somewhat deflating to read that it will house 30 people. Better than nothing, but a drop in the bucket.
Likewise, Laval is trumpeted in this Radio‑Canada headline as mounting an offensive to create social and affordable housing – then the subhead reads “La Ville investira 21 millions de dollars étalés sur une décennie.” That won’t go very far.
Orr 10:26 on 2025-05-25 Permalink
My parents bought a factory built home in 1977.
I would have thought that by now these home factories would be pumping out small modular homes like cookies, for affordable prices.
But both towns and developers want to maximize tax revenue/profits and small affordable homes achieve neither.
Never underestimate the control that property developers wield over town planning.
Kate 14:47 on 2025-05-25 Permalink
Habitat was supposed to be a proof of Moshe Safdie’s idea as a young architect, that individual dwellings could be produced industrially, then stacked up in aesthetically pleasing ways. I’ve read that originally he wanted to have a machine on site that would keep producing more units so people could watch the structure grow throughout Expo 67. That didn’t happen, of course.
Habitat wasn’t meant to be an elite living space but it quickly became one and still is.
Ian 16:21 on 2025-05-25 Permalink
Even the Bauhaus had this idea back in the 20s but their modular philosophy only got wide adoption by Industrial and manufacturing building.