You Can Do It - Self-Build Movement & 2020

 Walter Segal’s romantic image of the self-build movement really excited me. Channeling Virturvius’s primitive huts, people could construct their own homes to suit their individual needs and reflect their taste. The notion of “self-build” physically forces people to reconnect to the homes they live in and empowers them to see themselves as an agent of change. People take more pride in their homes leading and really invest in their community. Banks giving out mortgages  favor this less risky idea as well; you can’t fail when you can’t afford to fail.

 

When Walter Segal had his movement in the 1980’s, he endorsed his idea as anyone who can cut a straight line can build a house. When he raised the homes on Walter’s Way, he had to teach and guide thirteen families in building and designing together, almost like a studio class. How he would marvel at the array of home improvement videos available on YouTube! This denotes a shift in our culture too, as more and more people express interest in DIY. Additive manufacturing has boomed as well, creating easier access to making personalized solutions using thermoplastics, metals, ceramics and more. You can even now mail-order tiny houses on Amazon and get it in weeks. All of these nuanced processes and technologies make it easier than ever to self-build. 

Self-build is a beautiful idea until it is confronted with modern reality. Critics have pointed out the impossible scalability of the project, the absence of regulation and lack of density needed to solve today’s housing crises.  While I agree Segal’s concept can’t be scaled up, I think we can take lessons from Segal mixed with our current technologies and create a new prototype for participation. We need a version of this that maintains this idea of customization and access to terraced spaces within a larger apartment complex.

I can’t think of a better time for a renewal in his concepts than this past year. People have been shut in their homes, forced to acknowledge how little ownership and pride they have in their spaces. Those able to afford to flee the cities have left driving up real estate prices, creating an even deeper socioeconomic barrier in the path to homeownership. This will lead to an even more stratified society that lends itself to an array of other issues. We’re currently in a moment of flux, where we can’t exactly go back to the way things were before. When will there be a better time to try and tackle this?