Improving Affordable Housing
Meanwhile, smart growth techniques can make affordable housing work better. High Point, a development of the Seattle Housing Authority, is a great example of affordable housing using smart growth principles. With the help of a HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this project will include more than 700 units of subsidized housing and nearly 1,000 market-rate homes. Redevelopment of the community changed the alignment of streets, provided better internal walking paths and open spaces, and renovated homes to emphasize energy efficiency and appealing, approachable designs. All of these strategies connected High Point better to the rest of West Seattle and reintegrated the development as an asset for the whole community.
Affordable housing financers are incorporating more smart growth principles into their work as well. (See Green Is Affordable) The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco looks for things like infill, transit-oriented development, a mix of uses, and open space easements when scoring applications for competitive grants from its Affordable Housing Program. The FHLBank sees these smart growth strategies, along with other efforts to retain residents, as an important contribution to the long-term stability of the community.
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