Housing Programs

Affordable Housing & Disaster Resilience, Cedar Rapids, Iowa


Sponsored by ACSA, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and Iowa State University, the April 2011 symposium was a continuation of a project started by the NEA to stimulate and promote innovative design strategies for affordable and mixed-income housing. 

Led by Nadia M. Anderson of Iowa State University, the symposium brought together experts in affordable housing, disaster resilience and sustainable design with local housing and planning officials and nonprofit and for-profit housing developers. The discussions centered on the continuing development of sustainable neighborhoods and affordable housing in flood-affected areas of Cedar Rapids, IA.

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Affordable Housing Education Task Force


 In 2006 ACSA formed an Affordable Housing Education Task Force with the goal of developing the means and funding for the re-introduction and re-invigoration of teaching and research on affordable housing in schools of architecture in North America. The task force is charged with the following:
    • Compile and analyze current teaching and research programs on housing/affordable housing at schools of architecture in North America.
    • Develop research, teaching and engagement goals to address deficiencies identified by the analysis of the survey materials.
    • Create the means for disseminating information and analysis.
    • Create a funding strategy and secure resources for university-based research and teaching programs in affordable/mixed-use housing at schools of architecture.

February 2008
ACSA Housing Survey Results Posted. Results are posted from a 2007 survey of ACSA member programs on teaching and research in housing at our schools. The intent of the survey was to start to make an inventory of housing curricula to provide a North American context for housing education. 


September 2008
Special Journal on Hurricane Response. At the request of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), ACSA supported the publication of a special issue of the journal Cityscape devoted to university-based rebuilding efforts in the Gulf region after the 2005 hurricanes. The issue can be found here.


June 2007
ACSA/AIA sponsor a Housing Award for 2007-08. This new award is intended to recognize exemplary curricula and exemplary courses or activities at schools. Read more in the Awards section. 

Task Force Members
Thomas Barrie, North Carolina State University, co-chair; Michaele Pride, University of Cincinnati, co-chair; Sherrie Ahrentzen, Arizona State University; Francis Bronet, University of Oregon; Kathy Dorgan, Dorgan Architects; Roberta Feldman, University of Illinois at Chicago; Bradford Grant, Howard University; Tom Jones, California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo; Catherine McNeel, American Institute of Architecture Students; Theodore C. Landsmark, Boston Architectural College (ex-officio); Michael Monti, ACSA


March 2007
Final Report on ACSA/Fannie Mae Foundation Affordable Housing Grant

The report is the result of a 2-day conference in June 2006 to advance knowledge of design strategies that increase the availability and sustainability of high-quality affordable housing. 

Download the Report (9 MB)
Information on the Grant Activities