# Cardboard Homeless Shelters Urbankit is a Low-Cost Refuge to Remedy Immediate Needs of the Needy By Amelia Roblin | Published 2013-10-12 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urbankit References: [alessandrodiprisco](http://www.alessandrodiprisco.com/) The Urbankit shelter was not designed with the goal of [solving the growing problem of homelessness](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/unwelcome-home) in Europe and North America, but rather to meet the immediate needs of people on the streets while more serious solutions and measures are ideally being discussed. These little DIY abodes confront problems such as where a person is going to sleep tonight, offering the most rudimentary roof over someone's head. Alessandro di Prisco's concept is much more realistic than many that have been intended to supplement the situation; it's low-cost and its simple to set up. The [cardboard box cabin](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emergency-refuge-shelter) has been printed with pictorial instructions on how to assemble it, as well as the logo of a company that sponsored that Urbankit. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.8/10 - Popularity: 99% | Activity: 97% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Low-cost Shelter Solutions:** The trend of developing low-cost shelters offers a disruptive innovation opportunity to address immediate housing needs for vulnerable populations. - **DIY Housing Solutions:** The trend of do-it-yourself housing solutions presents a disruptive innovation opportunity to empower individuals to build their own affordable shelters. - **Sustainable Materials in Shelter Construction:** The trend of using sustainable materials, such as cardboard, in shelter construction provides a disruptive innovation opportunity to create eco-friendly and cost-effective housing options. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Construction:** The construction industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities by incorporating low-cost and sustainable materials into their housing solutions. - **Social Services:** The social services industry can seize disruptive innovation opportunities by partnering with organizations to provide scalable low-cost shelter solutions for homeless populations. - **Nonprofit Organizations:** Nonprofit organizations focused on homelessness can embrace disruptive innovation opportunities by supporting the development and implementation of DIY housing solutions for those in need. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Humanized Waiting Pavilions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/de-wachtkamer.md) - [Origami-Inspired Disaster Relief Pods](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/prefab-folding-pods.md) - [Eco-Friendly Modular Refugee Shelters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/allspace-1.md) - [Climate Relief Temporary Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/additive-manufacturing-homes-crisis.md) - [Homeless Support Backpacks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-makeshift-traveler-backpack.md) - [Timber Alpine Shelters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/selfsufficient-bivouac.md) - [Singular Person Foldable Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-baby-box.md) - [Disaster-Ready Housing Prototypes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/essential-homes.md) - [Reinvented Compact Living](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affordable-housing-prototype.md)