The design quality of affordable housing can have a substantial positive effect on both residents and the surrounding community. Good design uplifts residents, helping strengthen social connections, relieve stress, and enhance a sense of safety and belonging. It also can help repair blighted areas, raise adjacent property values, and attract market-rate development.

A successful new building creates a sense of authenticity and uniqueness in the urban environment, giving people a place where they can feel at home and more effectively engage with the world. This does not have to add to the project’s costs. The following are design strategies that can enhance any housing, whether affordable or market rate.

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