How and why might Facebook tackle refugee and affordable housing?
[reposting of comment on Facebook post by fellow-traveller Mike Zuckerman about his meetings with FB exploring how they might help global refugee issues]:
Mike, how about, propose to Facebook to help develop low-cost, open-source housing-unit systems, variants of. which might be adapted both to refugee housing and to showcase/pilot employee + affordable housing at or near FB’s campuses? The timing is excellent: FB is embarking on and negotiating with city/county for huge expansion of its headquarters, which will add 5–10k employees far in advance of adequate provision of housing in area for them.
Facebook expansion is recognized by (nearly) all to be contributing to housing crisis nearby, especially in East Palo Alto and lower-income parts of Menlo Park, Redwood City, etc. The company is pledging to create (conventional) new housing, but slowly and slightly; and it’s pledging millions to a Housing Innovation Fund. Also, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is exploring major philanthropic initiatives to address housing affordability.
So I think it may be a quite opportune moment to get bold & new ideas on the table, and for me it would be a dream project to develop proposals in this line, which I’ve worked on intermittently for last few years (while living nearby) into actual projects with FB.
There are some unique assets in the situation, such as the currently unused 5 miles of Dumbarton Rail Corridor right-of-way going right past Facebook’s HQ, tantalizing for possibilities of e.g. interim redevelopment with relocatable housing and bike/ped/transit corridor.
Easier, pilot above- or on-parking, autonomous housing units on the vast acres of (ecologically problematic) employee surface parking at main FB campus. Could be exhibit, or for part-time / short-term / relocatee / intern / contractors; could be not tied to FB employment but available as experimental, alternative affordable housing for anyone.
FB / CZI might, particularly, connect this to their deep strategic interest in and employee connection to India/S.Asia currently, and Africa emergingly (after Zuck the Younger’s epochal visit there recently), which now have most of the world’s fastest-growing cities, and projected to have much of the world’s population growth and underaddressed housing need in the next century.
Facebook might also be interested that exactly this massive global housing need, and market opportunity, has prompted their crucial rival. Google to announce *this week* a new major venture into manufactured housing. (see Sidewalk Labs post). Don’t miss this boat, Mark! (as Google missed the social media boat you rode in on..)
I say all this, you know, just in case Zuck Jr asks you what other game-changing things might be done on housing refugees/migrants, with his & FB’s kingdom of resources.. ;). I imagine the boy king saying to you, Mike, come with me, let us be not only fishers of men(‘s online attention), but housers of their selves.. (Mark 1:17).
prior discussions on this: see #ZHomes
