7 Affordable Housing Projects That Show How Good Design Is for Everyone

Thanks to its density, New York City is the locus of some of the most extreme disparities of the housing crisis, with super-tall luxury condos inflating the entire city’s housing prices. Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to change that by adding 200,000 new units of affordable housing, but activists say that he is moving too fast and not involving local residents. In East New York, Brooklyn, rezoning is happening at a very fast pace, and there is concern that de Blasio is doing to that neighborhood what Bloomberg did to Williamsburg and Bushwick to the effect that long-time community members are eventually priced out.

Is there a way to avoid this violent gentrification? If so, what would that look like when done properly? Here are some great examples from the Architizer database.

Barking Central by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, London, UK

Residential units, a hotel, nine retail spaces, a café, a new town square, and even an arboretum can all be found within this seven-building mixed-use complex.

Merritt Crossing Senior Apartments by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Oakland, CA

This LEED-Platinum building has 70 units for seniors and a variety of on-site amenities.

Monsignor Anthony J. Barretta Apartmentsby RKTB Architects, P.C., Brooklyn, NY

This affordable housing project in the Brownsville/East New York area incorporates an existing church into the design as a community center.

Richardson Affordable Apartments by David Baker Architects, San Francisco, CA

Very-low-income, formerly homeless people can find supportive housing in this five-story building, which is part of a larger neighborhood redevelopment.

46 Social Houses by Gabriel Verd, Sevilla, Spain

A central courtyard and patio fosters social interaction, where each of the 46 apartments faces either the courtyard or the street.

Las Torres Housing by hierve diseneria, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico

The units have abundant natural lighting and the large open space connects all of the units — and all of the residents.

Social Housing in Palma by RipollTizon: Estudio de Arquitectura, Palma, Spain

Excavated openings in the white mass of the building open up to the street while mimicking the rhythms of surrounding buildings.