Good morning, last Sunday, the iconic Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris had a pastry thrown at her, which only ended up smearing the glass protecting the painting. 😅
Per the NYT, Da Vinci's legacy was not harmed and the man, who was in a wheelchair and had faked a disability to get close to it, was taken into custody.
Has it happened before?
- In 1911, Mona Lisa was stolen by three Italian handymen and recovered 28 months later.
- In the 1950s, a visitor attacked it with acid.
- In 1956, a man threw a stone at the painting, shattering a glass shield and scratching Mona Lisa’s left elbow, causing a chip of paint to fall off.
- In 2009, a woman threw a teacup at its glass.
We think one has to have a few parts of the brain missing to carry out such acts of vandalism. Or maybe, they just want to go to jail to avoid dying on the streets in winter.
More on the ballooning global housing crisis as you read on.
– Rahul Mishra & Anuvab Chattopadhyay
Past Proptech's Hype Lies A Need For Revenue
Proptech’s dizzying rise is a testament to innovation. But once the hype subsides, what about project revenue generation? Isn’t that supposed to be the bigger picture?
Why we’re saying it
A deluge of proptech tools and ideas. A rise in investor cash and a mad rush to outdo each other and garner eyeballs.
How do we get into revenue-generation mode?
Here’s how proptech can:
📌 Construction - Proptech tools can accelerate construction, integrate building efficiencies and ensure swifter delivery.
📌 Transactions - Apps may ease paperwork and paraphernalia of realty transactions, with swifter sales, lower seller costs and faster income for buyers.
📌 Operations - Proptech can help grow and retain post-construction/acquisition income. It can cut both fraud and operational costs.
As proptech keeps getting bigger, there is an urgent need for investors to seek substance beneath the style. And yes, we coined it first.
Aha Moment For Rental Housing Again
Serendipity anyone? The rental housing segment was badly seeking stability after the Delta-Omicron tag team event. Q1, 2022 has been a pleasant surprise indeed.
Q1, 2022 Insights
📈 15.8% (QoQ) and 6.7% (YoY) demand growth.
📈 30.7% (QoQ) and 101.5% (YoY) supply growth.
🔼 Search volume growth for Gurgaon (33.5%), Delhi (27.8%), Bangalore (19.4%), Noida (21.4%) and Ahmedabad (17.6%).
🔼 Supply growth for Chennai (36.3%), Mumbai (37.6%), Thane (40.9%), Pune (38.1%) and Navi Mumbai (40.9%).
🔼 4% growth in countrywide rental rates (4.5% in Mumbai alone).
Reasons for demand growth
💉 More vaccination and milder COVID-19 figures for one. Reopening of educational institutions and offices too.
Tenant preferences
2 BHKs (45%) are having a moment. 3 BHKs (31%) are close behind. 19% prefer 1 BHKs. 69% want multi-storied apartments, with 53% into semi-furnished homes.
The Future
Reverse migration to metros. More rental demand. More normalcy. Something we badly need.
Wednesday Map Quest
✅ This Antarctic-centric world view revealed to us the real relative size of Antarctica vs the other continents.
❎ Generally, world maps and globes often make it look like the biggest continent in the world.
5 Regional Solutions For The Global Housing Crisis
Home = Security is the desired way. The reality is another story altogether.
Why are we being morbid? Consider 20 million global citizens forced out of their homes due to climate-based disasters over the last decade.
Who’s at risk?
Lower-income families, especially those in flood/storm/pollution/drought/heat-wave prone areas.
What is the need of the hour?
The right to proper individual housing worldwide. We need 2 billion new homes by the century-end.
But what about accompanying carbon emissions? Does this represent the biggest global conundrum of today, i.e. balancing social justice with climate consciousness? Yes, it does.
5 probable solutions/answers
1️⃣ Affordable and climate-smart housing ventures.
2️⃣ Zero-energy homes for vulnerable families.
3️⃣ Solar projects with integrated housing communities.
4️⃣ Retrofitting for better liveability and lower emissions.
5️⃣ Standardisation and prefabrication to balance affordable housing needs, social justice, and climate concerns.
Inspiring Stories
😇 BuildX Studio is building prefabricated zero-carbon homes in Kenya.
😇 Open Door Design Studio in Karachi is working on zero-energy pre-made homes at only USD10 for every square foot.
😇 Billion Bricks is offering a solar farm with integrated housing, making these 485-880 sq. ft. units cheaper. Prototypes are coming up in India and the Philippines.
😇 Retrofitting in North America involves zero-displacement, pre-fabricated envelopes for net-zero buildings. Ontario’s Ken South Tower has cut emissions by 94% for example.
Great stories. Greater initiatives. But will climate-smart affordable housing for the vulnerable and disadvantaged be a reality?
It depends on continual innovation (and the Mandarins in power).
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We wish someday, Home = Security for everyone on the planet. Antarctica included.
See you at the usual time tomorrow. 💚
☕ The Crew@Ginger Chai