Models

The affordable housing built today is radically different from the historical images that many people may have. Design, construction, and density regulations ensure that both single- and multi-family housing developments are well-built and fit the design of the neighborhood. The following examples from across the U.S. demonstrate the high-quality design that is now characteristic of affordable housing developments.

• Orchard Village and Oak Hill in Chattanooga, Tennessee include 49 total units of single-family, for-sale homes developed by the Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise. Homes are designed to accommodate narrow, deep lots and have detailed front porches and uniform roof pitches. The developments pay particular attention to landscaping, and Orchard Village established a homeowners association to monitor maintenance and coordinate a neighborhood watch program.
  
  
• Middletowne Arch in Norfolk, Virginia includes 188 three-bedroom, single-family for-sale houses developed on 110 acres by the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and designed by UDA Architects. This subdivision for low- and moderate-income families maintained lot and block sizes that are contextual with the surrounding area. Homes are wood frame construction, with vinyl siding and brick veneer.
  
  
• Mer Rouge Villas, in Mer Rouge, Louisiana and Dermott Villas in Dermott, Arkansas each include 33 units of rental townhouses on four acres that are affordable to low- and moderate-income tenants. Both projects were developed by Marshall Planning and Development, designed by Wenzel & Associates, and largely financed by the Farmers Home Administration. Homes are single-, double-, or three-story, with wood frame construction, vinyl siding, distinctive roofs, and columned porches. Both developments include community centers.
  
  
• Habitat for Humanity’s house in Lothian, Maryland received the Homes for Habitat Design Award in 1999. Approximately 300 volunteers and sponsoring corporations and associations participated in the construction of a one-story, four-bedroom home for a multi-generational family, with maximum hard costs of $36 per square foot.
  
  
• A consortium of 52 church congregations in Memphis, Tennessee created an affordable housing plan in Shelby County, called the Nehemiah Housing Initiative, with a goal to develop housing opportunities for low-income working families. The homes have been designed with front porches; double columns in front; double-paned, insulated windows; wood and glass doors; and quality detailing.
  
  
• The City of Chicago Department of Housing partnered with a nonprofit and for profit developer to create 21 New Homes in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. The project utilized an incentive program to develop single-family homes for low- and moderate-income families on scattered sites, which pursued an infill strategy for revitalizing the community.
  
  
• Westminster Place in St. Louis, Missouri includes 392 units of both market-rate and affordable housing for rent and purchase developed by McCormack Baron & Associates and designed by Trivers Associates. The development provides two-story townhouses and three-story garden apartments, utilizing wood frame construction and masonry and vinyl siding. The developer also provides property management services.