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The Latest

Mixed Income, Net Zero, and Fish Friendly: Innovation at The Southard

September 17, 2025 | Brandon Duong

A community land trust took on a difficult site in suburban Seattle—and ended up with a sustainable, diverse, mixed-ownership-form development that challenges multiple norms.

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A large open space with a staircase that has multicolored balusters. At left is a large mural of people with different skin tones and in front of it is a person holding a small child. Dual handrails on staircase ensure adult and child can safely use stairs by holding height appropriate handrails. There’s another small child, this one on crutches, and a woman in white is crouching beside him. There’s a man on the landing of the staircase and a small girl climbing the steps. Behind her is a woman carrying a bag or briefcase and drinking from a cup.

From the Field

Cross-Disability Design Makes Housing Better for Everyone

June 13, 2023 | Fatimah Aure and Caroline Bas

Affordable housing projects should incorporate a range of accessibility features, going above and beyond code requirements.

Six disabled people of color smile and pose in front of a concrete wall. Five people stand in the back, with the Black woman in the center holding up a chalkboard sign reading "disabled and here." A South Asian person in a wheelchair sits in front.

Housing

Which U.S. Laws Require Accessibility in Housing—And How Well Do They Do?

June 12, 2023 | Meir Rinde

Activists have been fighting for decades to expand accessible housing for disabled residents. They’ve made progress, but say that current regulations and enforcement don’t go far enough.

A composite picture that includes blueprint-style drawings on blue, a row of apartments in pink and a tall tower in blue. Large figures are a smiling young woman with long black hair and a smiling young man in a wheelchair. Smaller images include people with canes and in wheelchairs, and two men seated on a bench at a bus stop, the older one wearing dark glasses and holding a cane.

Editor’s Note

Disability Justice and Equity in Housing

June 12, 2023 | Miriam Axel-Lute

Welcome to Shelterforce’s newest Under the Lens series, Not Just Ramps—Disability and Housing Justice. This introductory article lays out why the connection between disability and affordable housing is so strong, and why it’s so important for housers to understand.

Community Development Field

Staying Ahead of the Age Wave

May 30, 2015 | Keli A. Tianga

Groups working with older adults, including many community developers, are crafting a range of creative interventions, from home modifications to service-enriched housing models, to allow seniors to age in place. Will it be enough?

Health

Renovating Senior Complexes to Be Green, Healthy, and Connected

May 30, 2015 | Noreen Beatley and Jill Breysse

Orness Plaza is one of the only public housing developments geared toward seniors and the disabled in Mankato, Minn., the state’s fourth largest city. Although the city boasts significant economic […]