Ah, the key point of his design is exactly the opposite -- the architecture creates a scaffolding for user-modified housing, so that the neighborhood appears heterogeneous after some time.
The article does a bad job of showcasing only photographs of the projects right after they're built.
This is a good point and I agree that the adaptability component is very effective. But don't you think that at the block to fabric scale (1 ha to 30 ha) the rigidity in vertical density is creating the inefficiencies I listed below?
I totally agree about the lack of vertical density, but I think in this case Chile and Mexico's tendency for earthquakes might have a lot to do with it.
Plus, it looks like the regions in which the projects are sited are not dense cities, but have similar low-rise 2~3-story buildings.
I guess adequate earthquake resistance with deeper foundations and specialized core would be more expensive. However building vertical should be cheaper per unit than a horizontal equivalent. I think the trade-off could optimized...
The article does a bad job of showcasing only photographs of the projects right after they're built.
See the before/after pics in this article: http://www.arcspace.com/features/elemental/quinta-monroy/