From Dwell Magazine, an example of a tight, urban house in a densely populated area of Osaka.
As I have asked many, many times: why can’t this type of housing be constructed in the commercially zoned areas of Van Nuys? Near the Orange Line? Near the Civic Center?
Imagine this fitted behind an alley in Van Nuys? As a modern, clean, civilized upgrade for the slum housing one sees along Bessemer, Calvert, Delano, Cedros, Erwin, Friar.
“At first glance, it can be hard to spot the Toolbox House. Tucked away on a long, narrow lot in the downtown area of Osaka, Japan, the silvery home sits much lower than its high-rise neighbors. Yoshihiro Yamamoto of the local firm YYAA designed the dwelling for a couple and one of their mothers, who sought a single-story house that is “compact and easy to use, like a toolbox.”-Dwell Magazine.
Here in Van Nuys 
To those who have built in the US it is clear that the Toolbox house won’t be here anytime soon.
See Johnny’s coverage of the bureaucratic jungle, and massive costs (bribes?, did I say that?) in any project. https://www.granolashotgun.com/granolashotguncom/from-the-office-of-dodgeshruggwigglehack-amp-dcamp-llc
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You want the truth???!!! LOL….Here goes (1) You have to change the PEOPLE. (2) Re: gas station – it probably sits there baking in the sun b/c remediation costs are so high that nothing pencils, b/c we can never have too much health and SAFETY. Just a hunch, but I’d bet 80% of the remediation is unnecessary. (3). What you are really looking at is a highly-upgraded manufactured home. But local govt’s HATE Mobile Home communities (lots of people = demand for lots of city services compared to far lesser local taxes they generate.) I can’t think of a new Mobile Home built in the last 50 years, and those that still do exist are being “redeveloped” into 5 story Bento Boxes. Where will THOSE people go? They haven’t thought that through, obviously.
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I believe this house is not a manufactured home. However the types of manufacturered houses now on the market are extremely well built and designed and nearly as expensive as conventional ones. My point is for more intensive use of wasted land.
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Agreed – I’m sure it’s not manufactured in the traditional sense. (And yes MH ARE far better made than 40 years ago). I was just throwing out a few reasons why we don’t have more intensive uses. There are a lot of better-informed people out there on these topics…..I just cheat (steal?) and use a few of their top talking points that seem to make the most sense. =)
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I guess one of the obstacles is out of date zoning laws that impede better and more innovative development.
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