How to Futureproof Your Next Affordable Housing Development

What drives developers and investors to engage in affordable housing preservation and development? Most believe it is a critical social issue that needs ongoing attention, regardless of the challenges. Families and households come in all forms, and housing solutions should too. Solutions take form by way of addressing homelessness via adaptive reuse of vacant buildings for transitional housing, to providing density and supply of mixed-income/moderate-income housing via zoning and design code reform, to creating longevity and adaptive housing for aging-in-place populations.

In 2025 and beyond, new developments will need to focus on implementing emerging technology and design approaches, allowing for efficiency and scale, while also mitigating climate risks. Preservation efforts will need to adopt related strategies but also continue to tackle environmental hazards like radon, lead, and asbestos to ensure healthy, vibrant housing is available to all. Additionally, community activists will look to address social and economic barriers through housing and tenant assistant programs that promote healthy living and upward mobility, strengthening core neighborhood partnerships along the way.