Container Homes or Concrete Futures?

Why Jamaica Must Choose Long-Term Resilience Over Short-Term Fixes-

By Richard Hugh Blackford; Fine Artist, Author, and Social Commentator Three of Jamaica’s leading engineering and construction bodies—the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Institution of Engineers, and the Jamaican Institute of Architects—have issued a sober warning at a critical moment. In a rare unified statement, these organizations are urging the Government to rethink its growing reliance on modular shipping containers as housing solutions in the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic destruction.

Their message is clear: Jamaica must prioritize permanent, hurricane-resilient concrete and steel construction if the country is to rebuild smarter, safer, and stronger.

This professional consensus reinforces a position I shared mere days after reports confirmed that more than 146,000 Jamaican homes were damaged or destroyed. The scale of the devastation is staggering, but so too is the opportunity; if only our political leadership would seize it.

A Crisis Rooted in History—Not Just in Hurricanes

The organizations’ statement does more than critique container dwellings. It subtly exposes the painful truth that Jamaica’s vulnerability today is the consequence of over 200 years of underinvestment in rural housing and domestic infrastructure. This neglect, deeply rooted in our colonial past, has been compounded over 63 years of Independence.

Successive political administrations—green and orange alike, have failed to address the issues of : Land tenure inequities, Lack of formal titles, the absence of structured human settlement planning, and the chronic underdevelopment that exists in key agricultural and coastal parishes. Without resolving these foundational issues, Jamaican families have been trapped in a cycle of insecure homeownership and fragile housing; conditions which hurricane Melissa ruthlessly exploited.

Who Really Benefits from Container Homes?

The Government, amid mounting public pressure, appears firmly committed to procuring thousands of shipping-container housing units as part of its recovery strategy.

This raises a crucial question of whose interests are truly being served? Is it those of displaced Jamaicans or those of the suppliers of these imported container units?

On paper, container homes look attractive, fast to deploy, and easily transported and installed. Beyond that though, the price tag of Ja$3.5 million for a one bedroom unit is not cheaper than the cost of raising up a 20'x20' concrete structure with bathroom and designated kitchen area, a fact expressed by several persons engaged in the construction industry. Moreover, this is a home that has asset value and is able to build generational wealth, unlike a shipping container unit.

The engineering experts have also argue that despite promotion and use elsewhere, containers are not designed for long-term human habitation as ventilation, heat retention, and corrosion pose severe health and safety concerns. Furthermore, the structures do not age well in tropical, coastal environments, and as stated earlier, they do not build wealth or support intergenerational transfer of assets. Moreover, they cannot be meaningfully expanded like traditional block-and-steel homes, and over time, maintenance costs can eclipse their initial savings.

The real danger therefore, is not the short-term emergency use of containers; it is the political temptation to normalize them as a permanent housing option for Jamaica’s vulnerable populations, a position that is being accepted by Jamaicans uneducated by the facts.

A Moment of Devastation; But also a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Hurricane Melissa’s destruction has opened a window that Jamaica may not see again for another century. It is my considered view that from this tragedy has arisen a historic chance to:

1. Resolve long-standing land ownership and titling issues

Formalizing ownership for hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans would unlock access to financing, insurance, wealth building, and generational uplift.

2. Establish a new national standard for disaster-resilient housing

Concrete and steel, proven to withstand Category 4–5 systems, should become the baseline—not the exception.

3. Transform vulnerable communities into planned, sustainable settlements

With proper infrastructure; roads, drainage, sewage, electricity, and community spaces—residents can rebuild with dignity.

4. Break the cycle of generational poverty

A titled home is not just shelter;

it is an asset. A step out of poverty. A foundation for future generations. Shipping containers cannot offer that.

A Fork in the Road for Jamaica

Melissa has forced us into a national reckoning.

Do we rebuild quickly but cheaply, leaving future generations exposed to the next major storm? Or do we rebuild deliberately, investing in structures that will last 100 years—not 10?

Jamaica stands at the threshold of a rare, transformative moment. We can repeat the mistakes of the past or forge a future in which resilience, dignity, and ownership are the bedrock of our national development.

Our engineering leaders have spoken. The evidence is clear. The need is urgent.

Now, the question is whether our Government will listen; and whether Jamaicans everywhere will demand nothing less than a reconstruction strategy worthy of the people who will inherit the island we rebuild today.