Urban Living Gaining In Popularity (NAPSA)—A single-family home on a large lot in the suburbs, away from hectic city life, has always been the dream for many people. But as suburban commutes have become longer, personal time has gotten shorter and gas prices have climbed higher, for some, the suburban lifestyle has turned into its own source of stress. As a result, the pendulum has begun to swing back, with adults of all ages seeking a more urbanliving environment where entertainment, res- taurants and shopping are, in manycases, a short walk away. Christopher Leinberger, metropolitan land strategist, developer and Brookings Institution fellow, calls this environment “walkable urbanity,” and says that 30 to 40 percent of the population now desires it. Satisfying this demand has led to an increase in redevelopment of older areas in and around existing cities and the planning and re-creation of “village-type” communities. But building housing in these urban areas comes with challenges for builders to “fit” homes, apartments and condos into existing lots and limited spaces. Builders must also deal with the effect of construction on neighbors, businesses and schools affected by increased street traffic, construction noise, dust, trash and even vandalism. As a result, builders are beginning to use modular construction. With modular construction, “mod- ules,” built to local building codes, are produced in an off-site manufacturing facility and are approximately 80 percent complete when delivered to a building site. They are installed in a day or two using only a crane and a small crew, ee resulting in fewer people, material anddeliveries and less time spent at thesite. Examples of this modern construction method are evident across the country. In a redevelopment project in Detroit’s North End Village, two homes built by Champion’s Genesis Homes were delivered andinstalled in one day. Additional on-site work was completed soon afterward, and the homeowners were able to move in within 30 days. A Champion project in downtown Lyons, Colo. provided housing for 12 families on a single cramped parcel of land in this town outside Boulder. Designed to conform to the local architecture, the precision-engineered modular condos helped the builder complete the total project within 12 weeks. In both cases, disruption to the surrounding neighborhood was minimal. City planners are looking seriously at this trend as a way to reinvigorate their downtown areas. And builders, using modern modular construction, can transform city neighborhoods almost overnight to meet the growing demand.
