By ONME Newswire
Fresno, CA – Today, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research announced that Fresno Housing has been selected as the 2021 partnering public housing authority for the Innovation in Affordable Housing (IAH) Student Design and Planning Competition. The competition guidelines propose that student teams develop innovative planning and design proposals for a group of existing and contiguously located properties in the rural community of Firebaugh.
The IAH competition created by HUD is in its eighth year and encourages research and innovation in affordable housing through teamwork within the design and community development process. Teams are comprised of three to five students representing separate graduate-level programs, including architectural or design-related programs. The registration for the 2021 AIH completion is closed and finalists will be competing for up to $20,000 awarded to the first place team. Awards are currently planned for April 2021, and there is no commitment that student proposals will be incorporated by Fresno Housing.
Fresno Housing owns and operates a collection of existing affordable housing communities located in the rural community of Firebaugh, California. These sites are currently serving lowincome families, seniors and include migrant housing. Students have been challenged to assess the properties and propose innovative concepts for future consideration that include physical connections throughout the neighborhood and special attention to ensure existing residents are not displaced. Fresno Housing will facilitate a site visit for students in early 2021, with the goal to focus proposals on a comprehensive neighborhood transformation investing in the people and vibrant housing opportunities in Firebaugh.
“This is an exciting project for Firebaugh residents and the community as a whole. Our goal for this project is to challenge the teams to define a plan that incorporates and boosts resident engagement and positively impacts the quality of life, housing and community connectivity,” said Preston Prince, Fresno Housing CEO. “Fresno Housing will benefit from the students’ design input, as we hope to receive a vision that stitches the properties together, creating a fluid, walkable sense of community.”