The single life: Car parks offer housing solution

Architects Georgie Revell and Sarah Jenkinson realised that car parks in estates in East London were often unoccupied for long periods. They proposed retrofitting the parking spaces with prefabricated, easily assembled housing units. Homeless individuals in need of housing assistance could complete an apprenticeship teaching them how to build and dismantle the structures.

The architects’ proposal is not designed as a disaster response solution. But in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and with more than 20,000 New Yorkers in need of instant housing, prefabricated solutions might help meet unforeseen peaks in demand in the future.

Cities and brands are already rethinking their strategies in response to a rise in single-person households. Read our Singles Rising market report for more.