Neighborhood Fit
In recent years there has been a movement towards decentralizing and integrating affordable housing into existing neighborhoods. As a result, it is important that affordable housing developments maintain good neighborhood fit, and blend into their communities rather than stand out. According to International Home Building Organization (IHBO), a large percentage of Americans would accept affordable housing into their neighborhoods, but only if it fit in. As always, it is important to empower neighborhood residents throughout the design and construction processes to ensure that there is a sense of ownership and responsibility associated with the project. According to the City Design Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago,
“A multi-family housing development, for example, may be acceptable in a single-family residential neighborhood, if it is designed to complement the scale and style of the surrounding homes. On an urban commercial street, apartments above storefronts may add vitality to the community and offer residents live/work opportunities.”
Below are two affordable-housing projects in the Chicagoland area that do an excellent job at maintaining neighborhood fit:
- Project: Willard Square Apartments
- Architect: Lisec and Biederman and Parkman & Weston Associates-1999
- Address: 4907 S. Saint Lawrence Ave. Chicago, IL
- Sponsor/Owner: Technical Assistance Corporation for Housing
- About: On the site of a former school, this 100 unit development is a complex of 18 three- and six flat buildings. The architect chose to use traditional brick exteriors reflecting the neighborhood's architectural style, to ensure neighborhood fit.
- Project: Humboldt Ridge Apartments
- Architect: Fitzgerald & Associates-2003
- Address: 1817 N. St. Louis Ave. Chicago, IL
- Sponsor/Owner: LR Development Company LLC
- About: The wrought iron Juliet balconies, angular designs in the brick façade, and the arched windows are meant to build upon the strong Puerto Rican heritage of the area.
Resources
The Affordable Housing Design Advisor: “is a website completed under contract to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides affordable housing tools, a gallery of exemplary projects and a design checklist.”
