Abstract
The worsening eviction crisis facing countries like the United States is caused by a variety of factors. The increasing costs of the housing market as large multi-national investing firms speculate on value of housing, to soaring rental prices, stagnating wages, inflation, and the devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Eviction creates destructive ripple effects throughout society as it often begets a negative feedback loop in which the evicted face housing discrimination leading to further eviction. Eviction is causally linked to issues with both mental and physical well being. To help those facing eviction this project proposes the creation of a product designed to aid people forced to sleep in their cars. Initial interviews indicated that sleeping in a car was a universally negative experience; common issues included a lack of privacy, cramped conditions causing discomfort, and feeling unsafe. User testing corroborated these accounts, sleeping in a car was difficult for a multitude of reasons however chief among them was how uncomfortable the seats were. The solution was to create a hammock specifically designed to be used in a car. Early models went through a variety of designs; many of which were flawed, being either too difficult to set up, to inhibiting to the functionality of the car or both. The hammock was changed from a more traditional design into a form which has two separate pieces, one which sits atop the car providing support and the other within.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Hammocks--Design and construction; Homeless persons--Services for
Publication Date
5-2-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Student Type
Graduate
Degree Name
Industrial Design (MFA)
Department, Program, or Center
School of Design (CAD)
Advisor
Lorraine Justice
Advisor/Committee Member
Alex Lobos
Recommended Citation
Hertzson, Isaac, "Transitional Car Living, Between Homelessness and Permanent Shelter" (2022). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from
https://repository.rit.edu/theses/11351
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
Plan Codes
IDDE-MFA
