Summer Issue 2021 - 87

conventional 400-by-400-foot (122by-122
m) blocks. And these are
surface spaces developed at a fraction
of the cost of erecting equivalent
structured parking. Frequent
turnover to support shorter-term
demands for shops and restaurants
further magnifies effective parking
ratios. A single small block whose
parking turns over five times a day
creates a functional on-street parking
capacity of 200 to 240 spaces.
Moreover, because the smallblock
grid is continuous, supply
and demand can ebb and flow over
a larger area, magnifying functional
parking supply.
Compatibility and
Exportability
Throughout most of the world, building
materials, equipment, and components
are manufactured to metric
specifications. Imperial sizing of U.S.
products constrains their export and
inhibits developers' ability to import
less-expensive materials.
Five-meter-wide (16 ft) dimensions
are compatible with common
American building products based
on four-by-eight-foot dimensions,
like plywood and drywall. Metric
countries often make near equivalents,
usually stated in millimeters,
1,200 by 2,400 mm (47 by 95
in). As metric sizes become more
common, developers may benefit
from cheaper foreign sources, and
U.S. manufacturers could increase
metric exports. The same is true
with respect to doors, windows,
and other building products.
Dimensional lumber is still made
in imperial dimensions. But two-byfour-inch
nominal lumber actually
is 1 5/8 by 3 5/8 inches, which is
actually 41 by 92 mm. Metric equivalents
are called 50 by 100 mm
and are actually 44 by 94 mm and
easier to measure with precision
than fractional inches. Spacing of
studs at 16 or 24 inches (406 or 610
mm) is similar to commonly used
400- or 600-mm metric spacing. The
spacing of studs, joists, and rafters
is sometimes referred to in centimeters,
spaced 60 cm (23.62 in) on
center. The dimensions of plywood
and oriented-strand board and other
sheets are multiples of 60 cm in
both dimensions, so they could be
placed in either direction, e.g., 60 by
240, 60 by 300, or 120 by 300 cm.
Smaller home appliances common
in European and Asian countries
are typically more expensive in the
United States relative to the larger
versions built for the U.S. market.
As apartments in the United States
have decreased in size, overscaled
appliances consume valuable space.
Foreign manufacturers often attempt
to fit within the U.S. customary
dimensions. For example, a refrigerator
to fit within a 600-mm (24 in)
space is 597 mm (23.5 by 79.5 by
24 13/16 in). Smaller 450-mm (18 in)
dishwashers that consume less water
and power in ever-smaller American
households are 17 5/8 inches wide
(448 mm) but were recently priced at
50 percent more than the same company's
24-inch model.
As the United States aligns with
the rest of the world and the supply
of metric appliances increases,
developers should experience
reduced costs while manufacturers
realize increased sales volume.
More accurate measurements also
lead to reduced waste materials,
which increases sustainability.
Other developed countries have
progressed into prefabrication
faster than the United States has.
Fabrication in a factory requires
precision. Traditional independent
tradesmen, subject to impermanent
subcontracts, are replaced by
employees with permanent jobs in
a system that produces less waste,
both in factories and at jobsites.
Transparency
Many apartment renters and homebuyers
have difficulty envisioning
spatial areas. They know rents and
prices, but not costs per area. The
small dimension of the square
foot may contribute to that. With a
For commercial uses, full metric-acre blocks allow building sizes similar to
standard Portland/Vancouver city blocks. But even quarter metric-acre (30-by30-m)
lots could house a universal-use building tower for multifamily, hotel, or
office functions.
square meter larger by a factor of
10, it may be easier to envision and
better convey the magnitude of the
cost differences.
A common 10-square-meter
bedroom may be easier to envision
than one measuring 108
square feet. Progressive increments
of unit sizes by 25 square
meters could delineate common
unit sizes. A common micro-unit
may be 25 square meters (269
sq ft), a studio apartment may
be 50 square meters (538 sq ft),
while a one-bedroom unit might
typically be 75 square meters
(807 sq ft), a two-bedroom unit
100 square meters (1,076 sq ft),
and a three-bedroom unit 125
square meters (1,345 sq ft). A
150-square-meter (1,615 sq ft)
rowhouse and a 175-square-meter
(1,884 sq ft) townhouse are typical,
and the average single-family
house may be 200 square
meters (2,153 sq ft) sitting on a
450-square-meter (4,844 sq ft) lot
that measures 15 by 30 meters.
The cumulative effect of transitioning
to the metric acre and integration
into the worldwide metric system
of production could be an increase
in the efficiency of land use, with a
corresponding increase in the productivity
of buildings, building materials,
and labor. In turn, that could
lead to increased supplies of more
affordable housing achieved through
increased efficiency of the market
system, rather than ever-scarcer government
subsidies in an era of a $28
trillion national debt.
At the same time, with increased
productivity and volume, developers
should be in a position to realize
greater profitability, which is a natural
market incentive that would
increase the speed of the metric
transition. UL
WILLIAM P. MACHT is a professor of urban
planning and development at the Center for Real
Estate at Portland State University in Oregon and a
development consultant. (Comments about projects
profiled in this column, as well as proposals for future
profiles, should be directed to the author at macht@
pdx.edu.)
SUMMER 20 21
URBAN LAND
87
MACHT & COMPANY
Summer Issue 2021

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