Manufactured housing is a vital source of affordable housing that faces unique climate challenges. This report provides the first holistic assessment of manufactured housing and climate resilience. It analyzes the exposure of manufactured housing nationwide to climate hazards like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods; examines key barriers to climate resilience from the perspective of experts and stakeholders; and identifies important opportunities for federal policymakers and their partners to reduce risk and build resilience.
Why This Matters
Manufactured housing holds promise as a scalable solution to boost affordable housing supply. Due to the efficiencies of off-site construction and federal construction standards that preempt state and local building codes, manufactured housing is less expensive and faster to build than site-built housing. As with other forms of affordable housing, however, climate hazards pose a growing threat. By prioritizing climate safety, policymakers can improve housing security for the 18 million Americans living in manufactured housing today and unlock changes that will improve the resilience of future manufactured homes.
What We Found
We find that more than 5 million manufactured housing units are located in the areas most exposed to one or more climate hazards. Further, manufactured housing units are disproportionately located in areas with the highest levels of exposure to tornadoes, wildfires, and multiple climate hazards. We also find that manufactured housing is disproportionately located in areas with less ability to prepare for and recover from climate hazards and disasters and that older manufactured homes, which are particularly vulnerable to climate hazards, are still prevalent in many states.
Interviews with experts surfaced several barriers to building resilience. These include exclusionary zoning practices that inhibit climate resilience; construction and installation standards that do not adequately account for climate hazards; financing barriers and gaps in federal, state, and local programs that limit investments in resilience and recovery; and divided land tenure and infrastructure deficits that make manufactured housing communities uniquely vulnerable to climate hazards.
Experts point to several key priorities for federal action, recognizing the unique role of the federal government in regulating manufactured housing. These include strengthening HUD standards to improve energy efficiency and climate resilience; supporting the repair and replacement of older homes; expanding access to financing and federal programs for residents to make home resilience upgrades and recover from disasters; addressing land-use and zoning barriers that limit the placement of manufactured housing in safe and accessible locations; and increasing data and research investments to address gaps in knowledge around manufactured housing and manufactured home communities.
Figure 1
Barriers to and Opportunities for Climate Resilience for Manufactured Homes
Source: Authors' analysis.
Figure 2
Barriers to and Opportunities for Climate Resilience in Manufactured Home Communities
Source: Authors' analysis.
How We Did It
We paired US Census Bureau data describing the number of manufactured homes in each census tract with Federal Emergency Management Agency data on the expected frequency of climate hazards to describe the likely exposure of manufactured housing to the most common climate hazards. Building on the insights from our quantitative analysis, we interviewed 44 manufactured housing experts representing residents and community advocates, manufactured housing developers and lenders, researchers, policymakers, and agency staff to better understand the barriers undermining resilience and opportunities for federal action.