Blog Action Day 08: Container City

Thinking outside of the box, or rather inside the box is what made these real estate developers idea revolutionary. This is Container City.

The Facts:

There are enough shipping containers around the world to build an 8 foot wall around the equator twice.

A shipping container contains the essential elements of a home: The floor, the walls, and the roof.

The shipping containers are built on an international standard, eliminating the hassle of building measurements.

Their building block/lego shape inspires the "artists" (architects) to get creative with their architecture.

Idea Made Manifest:

Urban Space Management began their first project.

It took 5 months to build Container City 1, which opened in May 2001, and provided 12 work studios. In 2003 another floor was added in less than 2 days and provided 3 additional live/work apartments. Each apartment is 300 square feet, and rents for $80-100 per month. They're insulated, have electricity, water, and the architects use 100% recycled materials. A total of 100 units now make up Container City.

A project that started out initially for themselves, has turned into a business.

Now lets analyze what you've read so far:

1. Cheap
2. Built Quickly
3. Artistic
4. Eco-Friendly

Now lets look at this from the perspective of a social reformer. How can we take an intelligent idea that has saved dollars and made a profit, and utilize the same ideas to impact the world and not just one's wallet? There's nothing wrong with turning a profit, just ask Bill Gates or Warren Buffet: both of whom have donated more than most philanthropists combined. One just has to simply understand where one is going and which ideas can be the most beneficial to the greatest number of people. A utilitarian position: greatest amount of good, to the greatest number of people.

But enough with words and words alone. Lets take a look at some men that have turned their ideas into actions.



Social Reformers in Action:

On a trip to Mexico (Juarez), Brian McCarthy was motivated by the poverty to develop $8,000 homes made from shipping containers.

An article similar to the story of "Container City", got him thinking about an idea to help remedy the cities housing situation.

He called his cousin Nava, a junior at Notre Dame University at the time, and told him about the idea. His cousin suggested that they enter the university's business plan competition.

Their concept began as a three-quarter page paper and expanded as they moved forward in the contest. Eventually, they ended up winning the contest with a 55-page document, illustrated by renderings and floor plans.

In July 2007, they formed PFNC Global Communities (Por Fin, Nuestra Casa, or "Finally, our home")

The company has received a commitment for equity investment and is in the process of finishing details and closing its first round of funding. The partners anticipate starting production early next year (2008), with the capacity to produce 3,000 homes in the first year and later ramping up.

They have estimated that a half million people could benefit from homes in the city of Juarez alone.

Something as simple as a metal box, trash and scrap metal to most of us, can be made into an idea complex enough to be the salvation of somebody. The notion that an idea can be transformed and can evolve into more than just the original idea, into something that can benefit humanity on a larger scale, and into something that makes profit worthwhile for humanity, is a notion that could and should be shared by us all. These men have demonstrated a prime example of how an idea can be taken from the World of Ideas and translated into physical language, utilizing intellect and reason to reform society in a positive way. However, these men do not have a monopoly on ideas; we all share in the same pool of intelligence. What are you doing with yours?