Context Sensitive Housing Density Strategies

In 2020, the UNL College of Architecture FACT lab (fabrication and construction team) partnered with History Nebraska and six community development organizations, including NeighborWorks Lincoln, to research and design new approaches to affordable housing in communities across Nebraska. Six teams teams, including undergraduate architecture students and participants from the Graduate Planning Studio, partnered with the nonprofits to design prototype houses or complexes for locations in Omaha, Lincoln, and beyond. The projects responded to the missions of the nonprofits and the specific needs of the community. A subsequent exhibit, “The NEw Attainable House”, documented these collaborations in an exhibition of planning research, architectural models, and design images at the Nebraska History Museum from April to December, 2021.

This project, “Neighbor-Type”, was created in close collaboration with staff leadership from NeighborWorks Lincoln and demonstrates the possibilities of densifying a “double-lot” infill site in a single family neighborhood with the same typology and in a manner that doesn’t fundamentally challenge the scale or character of the community by maximizing land use (five homes of various sizes share a 100′ x 150′ double lot). Approaching affordability through densification and economies of scale, the site plan is premised on the ownership model of a community land trust (individual families may purchase the homes while the land remains with the trust as a shared resource). The proposal strikes a balance between the security of ownership for private households and the shared values of a community, ultimately providing access to quality, high amenity housing in an accelerating market. This is a particularly relevant exploration for the capital city as it has come to be known for its single family neighborhood fabric and today faces a 17,000 housing unit deficit.

See the final report HERE
Project advanced with NeighborWorks Lincoln