Once a model for cleanliness and safety, New York City's continuously left moving politics have quickly created deep divides as a homeless crisis now blankets the city. Clean safe streets that once gleamed immaculately with no homeless, beauty and safety are now overrun; in fact, it is hard to walk down any street, including Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue without being pestered by homeless. Reportedly, over 60,000 people in New York City are now homeless with over 30,000 of those being children. Despite Mayor Bill Di Blasio owning up to reinvigorating a problem once cleaned up by former Mayors including Rudy Giuliani, he was reelected earlier this month (November) and all signs point to him doubling down on his policies which have transformed the once model city to just another urban environment. The large jump in homelessness is deeply correlated to his policies and critics put little hope behind his Housing New York 2.0 plan. To help solve the problem, Framlab has proposed 3-D printed micro-neighborhoods, dubbed Homed, to house the homeless. The adaptive micro-neighborhoods are made from connectable, hexagon-shaped housing pods which are fastened to scaffolding and empty walls with staircases to provide access. The interiors of the units will be manufactured via 3D printing and the exteriors will be made of steel and oxidized aluminum. The pods are designed to look like a public art display with a mirror-like film to provide privacy to those inside. Whether the pods ever get built remains to be seen but they would provide a great, adaptable, cost-efficient shelter for New York City's homeless.
