Because there are imbalances of imports and exports around the world, the container boxes that transport goods on ships, trucks and planes tend to pile up at certain destinations. These are sturdy constructions that could easily be converted to temporary or even permanant living quarters, offices, shops, etc. with standardized architectural components. They can be made more attractivve with innovative facings and easily stacked several stories high as they are now at transportation centers. And also, if the need for commercial or housing units are needed at various places they can be quickly moved into place or relocated.They probably would prove useful at emergency and military locations as well.
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I seen it done on a TV program from the UK. I'm not exactly sure of the details, but they joined together several continers as a modular housing system.
Yep. They have them in London and in the Netherlands as well. Some students at Delft Technical University and Rotterdam live in them. Causes problems with humid houses though.
Theoreticaly, the imbalances should sort themselves out any way because in those places where there's a shortage the price should go up relative to those places where there's an abundance which in turn should encourage entrepenurial ship operators to make a profit by transporting the empties from the sites of plenty to the shortage sites. They will have space because on average less containers are travelling to shortage sites - that's what caused the imbalance in the first place.
Containers do tend to pile up at destinations that have little to export, such as Afghanistan. The locals make use of them, however, they make passable houses.