This is an interesting New York Times photo essay about "how giant ships are built." I wasn't aware of some of these statistics, and maybe the same goes for you:
90% of all traded goods are carried on ships
90% of global shipbuilding happens in just three countries: China, South Korea, and Japan
There are 124 remaining and active shipyards in the United States, all supported by federal government contracts and the Jones Act, which requires that people and goods moving between American ports is done on ships that are owned/operated by US citizens and that were built domestically
US shipyards are believed to contribute about $37 billion in annual economic output and to support about 400,000 jobs
88% of all food in the state of Hawaii is shipped in by boat -- it is disproportionately reliant on trade (makes sense)
Few are able to do "small houses" quite like the Japanese. Below is the Flat House in Tokyo by Yoshinori Sakano Architects. Completed in 2011, it was designed for a young couple in their twenties who wanted to build a home that was like a "small art museum." Looking at these photos, I bet many of you will be surprised to know that the site area is only 100.10m2. The building footprint is only 49.00m2. And the total floor area is 79.36m2. This is the kind and scale of housing that is now permissible on many of Toronto's laneways. And here, in Tokyo, you can see that it is serving as a family home. (The working kitchen is quite a contrast with the rest of the house.)
Photos: Takumi Ota
Lately it has been in the news that a growing number of people in Tokyo are using car-sharing services for reasons other than to drive places. It started when companies began noticing that "several percent of their rented vehicles" were not being driven at all. What they ended up discovering, largely through customer surveys, is that car-sharing services have become an affordable option for people looking to nap, work, eat, store things, charge their phone, practice rapping, and probably a bunch of other things.
This immediately struck me as being quintessentially Japanese, partially because one of my experiences of Tokyo is that Tokyoites are often cool to sleep all throughout the city, including at the bar and on my shoulder on the metro. But I also think this finding tells you something about Tokyo's urban fabric and, in particular, how much of a precious commodity that space is within the capital. This guy once rented a car because he couldn't find a place to sit down and eat his boxed lunch.
This may also be a case of mispriced private space. Cities should, of course, have well-designed public spaces that accommodate people wanting to eat their boxed lunches. But for those looking for a little quiet time, a few hundred yen for 30 minutes has proven to be a competitive, and in some cases a more affordable, offering compared to, say, internet cafes. From the sounds of it, none of the car share companies ever anticipated this use case. Pricing is interesting.
Photo by Louie Martinez on Unsplash