Roland Graf on Micro-Housing for BBC News Brazil

Stamps Associate Professor Roland Graf was recently featured in a BBC News Brazil article by Alessandra Corrêa on the micro-housing movement.

“Several homeless camps have evolved into micro-cascaded communities, not necessarily because residents prefer micro-cascades, but because in many cities this type of community is more accepted and tolerated (than encampments),” Roland Graf, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design.

Some critics question whether microcasas can really be a lasting solution to the housing crisis and not just serve as temporary housing.
Among the limitations is the fact that the residents are usually young single or couples without children, and it is doubtful if this model is feasible for larger families.
For Graf, there are basically three types of users: ​“the homeless, the people who want to save money, and the money-hungry hipsters who simply want to demonstrate their design and architectural skills by building microcases in remote areas.”

Graf points out that it is part of American culture to live in huge houses, and it can be difficult to convince a middle-class family to live on 65 square meters.
​“I think it’s a good idea to reduce the size of homes, not only to make them more affordable, but also to reduce their environmental impact,” he says.

Can the micro-housing movement help solve the US housing crisis? | BBC News Brazil