Designers want to put New York City's homeless in 'honeycomb pods' that attach to buildings

By: Business Insider

November 29, 2017 at 12:23 PM EST

Framlab

Since 2012, New York City's homeless population has grown by nearly 40%.

The Department of Homeless Services has attributed the record numbers to the city's affordable housing crisis and flatlining wages.

Local creative agency Framlab believes it has come up with a solution. It is proposing that the city house its homeless in honeycomb-shaped pods that attach to the windowless sides of existing buildings. Framlab calls these spaces "vertical lots."

"Although almost every square foot of space in NYC has been claimed, there still manages to exist an abundance of 'vertical lots' sitting idle," the designers wrote. "These are the blank sidewalls of buildings that emerge and disappear as new developments come and go, providing hundreds of acres of available 'land.'"

Take a look at their proposal below.

Called Homed, the project imagines scaffolding (with stairs from the ground level) that hold the pods.Framlab

The pods would be customized for various uses.Framlab

Each sleeping pods would include a lockable entrance, a small storage closet, a bed, a desk, outlets, and heat and air-conditioning.Framlab

There would also be neighboring pods with showers and toilets.Framlab

Many New York-based homeless advocates have argued that stabilizing rents and strengthening zoning laws would be even more beneficial than increasing the city's housing stock.Framlab

Source: Slate

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