Sustainable Community Development: Self-Developed Housing Models

Niloufar Vakil (University of Kansas)

This paper describes a participatory development process used to empower marginalized communities. Case studies demonstrate how designers were able to assist underserved neighborhoods in pooling resources to self-develop award-winning housing projects. In one example, a group of 42 long-time residents all living within a few blocks of a problematic vacant lot were convinced to put their own homes up for collateral in order to close on a construction loan. In another, neighbors bought into shares of an LLC that pooled enough resources to be able to tap into a community revitalization sales tax program.

Participants make hard decisions regarding density and affordability, hire contractors, and negotiate with a bank all as larger components of community building. Recognizing that only those affected by an environment have any right to its determination, residents take great pride in witnessing the emergence of a cultural enterprise they built with their own ideas and resources.

Specific interior and exterior design elements reflect the participatory nature of the process. Residential stoops, bay windows, open light-wells, exposed structure, and materiality all express an engagement with community that is transparent, sustainable, and empowering. The models of community development presented here offer an alternative to the traditional designer-client dichotomy and allow the once-clear boundary between architect and client to be redrawn. Also, by sharing resources, community members are able to become active participants in their built environment.

Four learning objectives

• Learners will be introduced to the philosophical underpinnings of participatory design.
• Learners will be able to articulate alternative development processes.
• Learners will be able to cite specific design elements that express participatory design processes.
• Learners will be introduced to development processes that resist gentrification and support community empowerment.