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The Value of Good Design After Occupancy
A well designed, well built project provides many lasting benefits to its occupants and its community. Four key ones are:
- Generates occupant satisfaction and pride, sparking ongoing concern for and care of the project.
- Enhances and helps stabilize its neighborhood, primarily through the pride and commitment of its occupants and the respect afforded the project by the community.
- Is easier to maintain and lasts longer.
- Appreciates in value, all other things being equal
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This Sacramento, California project helped stabilize a neighborhood that had declined drastically in recent years. As a neighbor who helped build support for the project observed, "This development has taken a blighted corner of the city and turned it into something really nice. There is hope for the older buildings, some of which are being rehabilitated. I would like to encourage other neighborhoods that are reluctant about this sort of housing to visit Southside."
(Southside Park Co-housing)
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The value of this Detroit, Michigan development extends well beyond the buildings themselves. As the architect notes, "The positive catalyzing effect of new infill housing development in a severely distressed urban neighborhood cannot be underestimated. While rehabilitation of existing deteriorated structures is extremely important, the symbolic and tangible rebirth represented by new construction is a powerful revitalizing force, attracting substantial attention and additional resources."
(Field Street)
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These Tacoma, Washington homes have been used as a statewide model to showcase how to do affordable housing well. According to the nonprofit developer, "If sponsors recognize the dignity of the residents in the design and construction, the place becomes a source of pride, rather than a source of problems. If you build cheaply you create an eyesore. The residents know you don't care, so they don't care. If you build quality you get respect. We believe every individual and family deserves the opportunity to live in affordable and respectable housing."
(Matsusaka Townhomes)
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This moderate density, rental development in Soquel, California faced significant opposition from its predominantly rural neighbors until they saw the design. As one neighbor put it, "Before we moved into the neighborhood we wanted to consider the potential effect of The Farm on property values, crime, and so forth. Mid-Peninsula Housing arranged for us to visit five of their similar housing developments. I also worked closely with my realtor to research recent sales in the areas around those developments. We discovered that in all cases property values remained the same or increased - the situations were no different to those in areas without affordable housing. So we felt very comfortable purchasing a home next to The Farm."
(The Farm)
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The occupants of this Albany, New York development feel empowered by the building and its architecture. As one project resident testifies, "I love my apartment. It's beautiful - my unit is both long and wide enough - you can fit furniture and have company. It's a wonderful apartment. You don't hear noise from other apartments. It's built solid. I love my apartment .... my family tells me never let it go."
(Dove Street)
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