Published on July 31, 2019

Community co-living facilities. 3D-printed homes. Crowd-funded home rehabilitation investment platforms. Group home-ownership contracts. Government-subsidized apartments. Prefabricated homes. Tax credits. Transit-oriented development. Mortgage-funding programs for key workers. Stackable modular homes. Inclusionary zoning ordinances. Intergenerational house-share programs. Softwares for tracking affordable properties. Online marketplaces for cheap student homes.....

There is no one solution to making housing affordable. Today, a host of new ideas and platforms are enabling people to own or purchase homes.

What is Affordable Housing? is a new publication designed to connect architects, startups, investors, entrepreneurs, and organizations that are engaging in the global affordable housing crisis by inventing new means for driving down housing prices.

The book is divided into three parts:

Part 1 is comprised of interviews with BMW’s compact urban living initiative MINI Living, French concrete manufacturer Lafarge Holcim, prefabricated housing company Blokable, and MUJI. It also includes interviews and profiles for a number of housing startups including Landed, Rabble, Module, Hubhaus, Lowe Guardians, New Story Charity, Starcity, and more.

Part 2 features essays, drawings, and design ideas from contributors around the world.

Part 3 is made up of conceptual design ideas by architects for affordable housing solutions in cities around the world.