Saipan's

Depressing

Problem

From a Saipan correspondent The housing situation on Saipan does not present a pretty picture, par ticularly for people on lower in comes. The Marianas District Plan ning Office in 1973 made a survey on housing conditions on the island.

Some details of the survey were re leased recently.

This showed that about one-third of the houses were considered to be “structurally inadequate”, and would not withstand the next serious typhoon. Of 2,388 housing units counted in the survey, 925 were said to be deteriorated wood frame build ings in poor condition. Considered in good condition were 713 concrete structures and 750 wood frame houses.

There had been a phenomenal in crease in housing construction since Typhoon Jean practically either de stroyed or severely damaged the 1,249 houses on the island in 1968. But the housing situation for the majority of Saipanese had not greatly im proved since the World War II in vasion when 15,000 to 20,000 perma nent residential units were totally destroyed.

After Typhoon Jean, as an emer gency housing measure, about 450 units of plywood were built by the US office of Emergency Prepared ness. They were intended to last the two or three years it would take to rebuild permanent housing. Like many temporary structures put up in many parts of the world, 400 of them are still occupied.

The report points to a depressing aspect —because there is insufficient money and a current trend to escape the 20-person, three-family house holds which are common today, most of the present dilapidated homes will not be replaced, proper sanitary facilities will not be built, and a large quantitv of poorly built homes will go up.

“Add to this the poorly planned residential sub-divisions, unpaved dusty roads, inadequate to non existent recreation facilities or neigh bourhood open space and you have the grim picture that is housing for the vast majority of Saipanese,” the report said.

The report suggested that housing might become the most serious prob lem of the 80s for Saipan. The basic cost of a three-bedroom concrete house had risen from $9,000 to

$16,000. That put such permanent housing even further out of the reach of lower income families.

About 700 new concrete homes had been built in recent years, but most were occupied by higher income Saipanese or expatriates. Many of them rented the houses. ■Rentable housing will become a good business and the rental rates will be high the report said. In the end most of the higher income aliens and Saipanese will be living in adequate homes, while the majority of the island’s residents will continue to inhabit rundown houses in near-slum neighbourhoods.”

The report said that for a pro jected population of 18,000 in 1980 another 4,200 residential units would be needed. That meant that 1,800 new units would have to be built, and 900 of the present units would have to be replaced, There should be a study of new techniques of mass production, pre fabrication or modular construction d definite po i icy c n low-cost . , h ? us ' n B- “ d B reat f r fi consideration °f th° se who are not financially able to build better housing . Homes should be designed to reflect the Saipanese way of life.