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

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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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.
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