Mobility as Resistance
A short video examining a class form of mobile architecture—Ice Cream Trucks!
What do you think of Mobile Architecture?
When we first discussed the topic in our class all I could think of was the movements we see today in Van Life and Tiny Houses. These movements honestly make me quite indifferent because it is a symptom of a greater sickness in society. Young people are increasingly being priced out of the housing market. Rental prices have skyrocketed in cities pushing marginalized people out of them. Tiny houses and Van Life are the only feasible option to stay in cities like San Fransico for the working poor. All the while, mobile architecture does not provide any means for building generational wealth through equity.
So why consider mobile architecture? Mobility creates a form of transitional space that is much more accessible to average people. Often, people who live the van life only do so for a year or two at most. They work to save up a lump sum of money to purchase a more permanent home. The same is true for business owners if we look at food trucks. Start-up costs are steep when considering renting or purchasing a brick-and-mortar location. This cost can be greatly reduced if a restaurant starts in a mobile architecture like a food cart. Many small business entrepreneurs start businesses at farmer's markets to test the viability of their businesses.
Tiny homes are not restricted to the same building code standards as their permanent counterparts. The mobility of the structure allows this flexibility. Cities like Portland, Oregon are using mobility as a means to provide housing for the people in need. The small houses are only transitional, but they work well.
Mobility also allows for escape from a natural disaster. In the PNW, we are experiencing increasingly severe wildfires every summer. Mobility of housing in fire zones would save many people the suffering of losing their homes.
I have been considering the impacts of mobility since taking this course in the Fall of 2020.
