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Thinking Outside The Box To Make Housing More Affordable

Builders of container homes say they allow for better quality control during construction and are usually more affordable than traditional houses.
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Builders of container homes say they allow for better quality control during construction and are usually more affordable than traditional houses.

Alternative kinds of housing like shipping containers and tiny houses are quickly growing in popularity. Could they help relieve some of the pressure from the affordable housing crunch? 

Listen to our conversation about alternative forms of housing and how they could help improve the affordability crisis.

WUSF's special report "Growing Unaffordable" has been looking at people in Hillsborough County who are finding it harder and harder to find a home they can afford.

This week on Florida Matters we talk to people who are thinking outside the box when it comes to housing.

We talk about tiny houses, container homes and dorm-style living known as "macrounits" to see if these types of dwellings would be a good fit for the Tampa Bay area.

And we ask how society's expectations of what housing should be are evolving over time -- does everybody need a single-family home, or a parking space with their unit? Or are some willing to sacrific space for proximity to work and social activities?

Our guests this week include:

Elizabeth Strom, Associate Professor at USF's School of Public Affairs

Mickey Jacob, an architect with BDG Architects and chairman of the Tampa Downtown Partnership

Robert Cox, CEO of Sundog Structures

And you can hear an extended version of this conversation on the Florida Matters podcast:

Listen to the podcast

And you can SUBSCRIBE to the podcast!

Thinking Outside The Box To Make Housing More Affordable

Copyright 2018 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7

Robin is Senior Editor at WUSF, spearheading the station's podcasting initiatives and helping to guide the vision for special reporting projects and creative storytelling. She hosts the weekly current affairs program, Florida Matters, on WUSF and also created The Zest, the station's podcast that's all about food, which she continues to host and serve as senior producer.
Stephanie Colombini joined WUSF Public Media in December 2016 as Producer of Florida Matters, WUSF’s public affairs show. She’s also a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida project.