CONSIDERING Guam’s housing material costs, building codes and housing standards, Bank of Guam Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Joseph Bradley opened his presentation at the second day of the 4th Annual Guam Affordable Housing Symposium yesterday with an assertion that “there’s no such thing as affordable housing on Guam.”
Bradley, who was one of the speakers on the topic “Where Do We Go from Here,” also directed an inquiry to the attendees on what affordable housing on Guam means in terms of dollars and standards. Realistically speaking, he said, Guam cannot afford houses that meet U.S. mainland standards for space and amenities.
He also noted land is a major housing cost, with more densely populated northern villages such as Yigo and Dededo having higher prices for land in comparison to the southern locales. Infrastructure is also mainly concentrated on the northern part of the island.
Bradley added that in terms of energy efficiency, it makes sense to shift the population to the south to reduce potential line losses and increase collective energy efficiency since it costs more to transmit power from Cabras to the northern villages. In terms of environmental concerns, the northern part of Guam, he said, sits on top of the island’s primary source of water, the Northern Water Lens.
Energy measures
Meanwhile, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Senior Technical Project Lead and Technical Support for Guam Energy Taskforce Misty Conrad, the keynote speaker for the second day of the symposium, informed the public about measures that would help increase home energy efficiency.
Conrad also discussed green design strategies pioneered all over the world and presented several model structures in neighboring Hawaii and the Caribbean.
She said behavioral change is required to be able to shift into a greener perspective on home construction and energy efficient home management.
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