Affordable housing needs are changing.

By: Matt Bartner, AIA, LEED AP

For many of us in the profession “affordable housing” brings to mind tax credits, regulations, and extremely competitive funding toward projects that make an impact in people’s lives. As times change, the reality is that affordable housing is rapidly becoming “everyone’s housing,” especially in the Greater Philadelphia region.

With skyrocketing rents for apartments and high mortgage rates for homeowners, I often wonder whether my children’s generation can ever reasonably afford to own a home. This is not a new problem, just one that has grown continuously during the past two decades.  As architects we must consciously expand the affordable housing conversation so that it encompasses a broader range of typologies and approaches to include residences for everyone: seniors, young families, municipal workers, teachers, students, and healthcare professionals, addressing the different needs, abilities, and challenges in their lives.  With collaboration, partnership, and sharing ideas across many areas of expertise, I do believe together we can advance housing equity across the City.

In 2021, my team at Thriven Design completed work on The Apartments at New Market West for Mission First Housing Group, creating a five-story midrise building that brought critically needed workforce housing to the Haddington neighborhood. We saw the impact that just 41 units of family rental housing, combined with adjacent services and amenities, could have in spurring further investment and growth in the neighborhood.

I know that much work lies ahead in addressing Philadelphia’s 60,000-unit housing shortage and the growing housing needs of working families and young adults, but I am encouraged that each project we complete gives us lessons to share and new ideas about how to design more efficiently, sustainably, rapidly, and creatively so that when “everyone” needs housing, we will be ready!