Hiking and Affordable Housing
Hiking and Affordable Housing are two topics that you don’t normally see in the same sentence. Given that I am on vacation in Southern Utah and Arizona while my fellow affordable housing accelerators are working hard, I felt I needed to give some creative perspective.
Affordable Housing is a topic that I don’t even try to shake. It is a subject that is always with me. So, while I hike in Mt. Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon and Grand Staircase-Escalante I am still thinking about this important topic that is a crisis issue in Austin.
Our first night, we stayed outside of the Grand Canyon in a small 250 square foot cabin. It had a bathroom, but everything else — kitchen, queen bed and living area — were all tucked into this small space.
The Chicon Micro Unit project which I am trying to accomplish through the Accelerator program is about building small housing (350–550 square feet) for artists, musicians and creative types. So living in a 250 square foot cabin for two days with my girlfriend, Birgit Schulz, gave me a great perspective on how easy it is to live in a tiny space. It is all about efficient design and meticulously executed amenities with windows and natural lighting.
Micro units can and will work in Austin. Sometimes we need to get out of Austin to gain a different perspective. While this vacation has been amazing, I can’t wait to get back to my fellow Accelerators and continue working on the Chicon Micro Unit project.
