Affordable Housing and Community Development: The Role of Design

Description: The current process for the production of affordable housing in the US will be generally reviewed, with an emphasis on how urban design and architectural design both influence and are influenced by that process. Case studies of affordable housing and mixed-use/mixed-income projects designed by the instructor will be examined to explain how the forces of local politics, cultural and social preferences, economic development necessities, budgetary constraints, funding regulations, and local zoning and building codes all shape design decisions. In turn, the course will show how good design ideas can help alter or \”reinterpret\” these controlling conditions to improve the final outcome.During the course, students will be required to research three case studies of affordable housing either in the US or overseas. They will be required to design a system for analyzing the case studies and to demonstrate its use so that a more comprehensive understanding of a project and its context can improve the design of similar future projects.Pedagogic Objectives: Students will be shown how to organize the design process to facilitate the involvement of local community participation; how to organize site planning, building design and dwelling design to fit various social and physical contexts; how to assess the success of a project\’s design along several critical dimensions.Time Commitment of Students: The course will meet every other week.Basis of Final Grade: Attendance; quality of the content and graphic presentation of three case studies and the system for analyzing them.