Design Matters: A Primer on Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is a fundamental component of healthy, resilient communities. This primer distills our 25 years of designing beloved, nationally recognized, award winning affordable housing into clear, actionable guidance for every phase of development.
In close collaboration with our 2023 and 2024 United in Design scholars, we’ve created a much-needed educational resource for affordable housing decision makers, advocates, and developers. This is a resource that bridges theory and practice in affordable housing development. In it, we present real-world case studies and practical insights that explain how careful site selection, context-sensitive building forms, and material choices can keep costs down without sacrificing quality or character. We demonstrate how good planning principles, gentle density, collaborative planning workshops, and attention to dignified details combine to foster social inclusion and long-term project success.
Design Matters: A Primer on Affordable Housing consistently highlights what we’ve learned throughout our 25 years of practice—that design excellence and cost efficiency work together, not against each other. From community engagement strategies to sustainable building practices, this primer shares hard-won insights from our award-winning affordable housing portfolio to help others create affordable housing that will truly serves their residents and communities.
