Recent news reports document progress in affordable, sustainable design across the United States:

New York State's First Green Affordable Development Celebrated in South Bronx
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development in October announced completion of Sunflower Way, a “green” development of 30 three-family homes in the Melrose section of the South Bronx. Sunflower Way is the first affordable housing development in New York State to earn the “Energy Star® Homes” label from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The $12 million development is the first completed project of the High Performance Building Program, a joint initiative of the New York City Housing Partnership and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The goal of the demonstration project was to utilize new building techniques in order to increase resource efficiency and enhance occupant health and safety in affordable housing. 

Harlem's Green Affordable Multifamily Housing Complex  
Media coverage of a new development in Harlem has been widespread. "1400 on Fifth," a 225,000-square-foot development to be completed in summer 2003, includes 30,000 square-feet of retail space and a number of energy-efficient and green features. Two-thirds of the units in the complex are reserved for middle-income families. The condominium will be the first affordable urban mid-rise to qualify for the New York state green building tax credit, as a High-Performance Green Building. Residents should save an average of $24,000 over five years from the tax credit, in addition to energy cost savings. Highlights of the building include geothermal heating and cooling, construction with 60 percent recycled materials, high indoor-air quality, and a design that utilizes elements of historic Harlem architecture.

Making Affordable Housing Affordable Conference Set
The University of Minnesota, the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation and other sponsors have scheduled a conference titled "Making Affordable Housing Affordable: Reducing Building Costs through Innovation" for April 30, 2003 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The conference will feature Dr. Avi Friedman, director of the Affordable Homes program at McGill University.

Low-Income Housing Gets Photovoltaic Panels
The HousingZone website carried an article from the Contra Costa Times, reporting on two low-income housing developments in Richmond, California that are installing solar electric systems predicted to cut 75% percent off of electric bills. State and federal rebates and tax credits reduce the cost of the photovoltaic system, so that payback can begin in as little as five years.

Green, Affordable Housing for Artists Underway
In Prince George's County, Maryland, the Housing Initiative Partnership broke ground in October on a site that will offer housing for 12 to 24 "working-poor" artists. The housing will feature the region's first green roof on a residential building, tankless hot water heaters and bio-retention landscaping, according to a Gazette.net article.

Roxbury Affordable Housing Benefits from Design and Efficiency
Builder Online carried a story from the Boston Herald on new affordable housing development in the Boston area. These exemplary new developments are highlighted by features of good design that add to their appeal and should help them age gracefully. In addition, affordable housing has a new emphasis on energy efficiency that will help keep construction and operation costs down. Many of the design and energy improvements added to project cost, but were funded by grants. 

Portland Development Combines Library with Low-income Housing
Metropolis Magazine carried a story on the Hollywood Library mixed-use development in Portland, Oregon, where a joint venture between the county and a private developer produced a new branch library, apartments, and a restaurant. Nearly half of the apartments are reserved for low-income residents. The building features low-toxic water-based paints, energy-efficient appliances and windows, as well as a bioswale, an open channel with plant life that catches water runoff and filters out pollutants.

Roundtable Looks at Connections between Environment, Equity and Affordable Housing in Chicago
Business and Professional People for the Public Interest is hosting a Chicago-area roundtable series with a session that is focusing on "Exploring Connections: Environment, Equity and Affordable Housing the Chicago Region" November 20, 2002. Around the country, affordable housing advocates and environmentalists have identified common interests and built effective campaigns that connected protection of the environment, preservation and development of affordable housing and other issues of social equity and community development. This event features Jacky Grimshaw, transportation expert from the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

Partnership to Promote ENERGY STAR in HUD Housing
EPA, HUD and DOE signed a formal partnership September 17, 2002 to promote ENERGY STAR throughout HUD's affordable housing programs. These efforts will not only improve the energy efficiency of the affordable housing stock, but will help protect the environment. The agreement commits the three agencies to working together to improve the energy efficiency of HUD's public, assisted and insured housing as well as housing financed through HUD's formula or competitive grant programs. The agencies will work together to promote and support the purchase of ENERGY STAR labeled appliances and will also promote the construction of new ENERGY STAR-labeled homes.

New Jersey Green Homes Office Holds Tour of Low-Income Housing Units
On October 17, the New Jersey Green Homes Office held a tour and open house for one of its affordable Pilot Program developments. Pennrose Properties Eastampton Town Center includes 22 buildings totaling 100 town
house units for low income families, plus a central community building with solar hot water laundry facilities. The housing is located in a compact area, with the remainder of the site dedicated in perpetuity to wetlands.  Contact the New Jersey Green Homes Office for more information.

Guide to Rowhouse Renovation Offered
The Maryland Green Building Program has released a new publication, Green Building Template: A Guide to Sustainable Design Renovating for Baltimore Rowhouses. The Green Building Template presents the results of a study to investigate the fiscal impact of better building principles when rowhomes are renovated or rehabilitated. The document lays the foundation for future renovation projects by creating a replicable, adaptable framework that depends on an integrated, holistic approach to renovation that addresses energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and cost. The report is online as a PDF. 

Tierra Madre Builds Sustainable Affordable Homes
Tierra Madre is a non-profit affordable housing developer working with low-income families in Sunland Park, New Mexico. In 1995 several families came together to discuss the lack of affordable housing in their community. Today the residents of Tierra Madre are working together to build a sustainable community with 47 strawbale homes, community center, play area and alternative economic enterprise. Sixteen homes are now complete, with more under construction. The 1,500 square foot homes cost about $45,000 each. The community has received a great deal of press coverage touting its construction success.

Guide to PATH Programs Highlights Affordability
The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) is offering Affordability and Value Through Housing Technology: Programs and Services Guide online in PDF format. The Guide provides useful information that can help PATH partners shape the quality, affordability, and performance of America's homes by encouraging new housing technologies and approaches to design and construction. The Guide includes information about PATH's state-of-the-art tools that can help lower construction costs and improve the value of homes. The Guide also describes a number of PATH services that can help eliminate or reduce barriers in residential construction, and streamline the code approval process.

Habitat and Oak Ridge Collaborate on Energy Efficient Homes
A local Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Tennessee is building up to 20 state-of-the-art energy-efficient houses, with technologies that will be tested by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Four homes have already been completed using tested technology that is helping to lead homes toward net-zero energy performance. The homes feature structural insulated panels and photovoltaics, among other technologies. The project is part of DOE's Building America program.

Studio 804: Students Design and Build Sustainable, Affordable Homes
Students enrolled in Studio 804 at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design create an affordable home each year, from start to finish. Students develop a project from the permit stage through design and construction, doing the building themselves. The instructor requires that the homes be ADA compliant and sustainable. Past projects have used a startling variety of recycled materials, and incorporated passive solar design. The homes are typically priced between $40 and $50 a square foot. Highlights of past and current projects are featured on the Studio 804 website.

Buffalo Nonprofits Do Environmentally-Friendly Rehabs on Older Houses
Business First of Buffalo, New York, reports on a prototype home rehabilitation being conducted by the West Side Community Collaborative. The Green Home Project, rehabilitating an older house using energy efficient, environmentally friendly materials and techniques, is a joint effort of several community nonprofit organizations. The  home will serve as office and tour opportunity, as the first of several similar rehabilitations planned for the neighborhood. The project emphasizes energy efficiency, conservation, and sustainable materials.

Colorado Group Helps Foster Energy-Efficient Self-Help Housing
The Spring 2002 issue of NeighborWorks® Bright Ideas newsletter profiles The Energy Office, a group in Grand Junction, Colorado that has helped meet low-income housing needs for more than two decades. In addition to successful weatherization programs, The Energy Office operates a self-help program in which participants help build ten houses to earn a downpayment on their own home. Each home is built to earn the highest possible energy efficiency rating, and the organization continues to promote the sustainable use of resources, as they have since the 1970s. (Article is in PDF format.) 

Affordable and Responsive Community Housing Program Builds Energy-Efficient Prototype Home in New York
Knight-Ridder / Tribune Business News reported that a partnership of government agencies and private organizations broke ground at the end of May on a prototype energy-efficient and affordable home in South Troy, New York. The Affordable and Responsive Community Housing Program expects the home, built with a system designed by Walter Kroner, an architect and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor, to be 60 percent more energy-efficient than a standard home and be affordable to low- and moderate-income people. This is the second prototype home to be built with the easy-to-assemble system. Participants in the building project include the Charitable Leadership Foundation, Troy Architectural Program Inc., and NYSERDA.

Mayors Present Strategies to Combat Affordable Housing Crisis
After a daylong National Housing Forum with representatives of the business, labor, housing, senior citizen, public education, and public health communities, the nation's mayors released a comprehensive set of recommendations to address the country's affordable housing crisis. Recommendations include creating a new national homeownership tax credit, establishing a national affordable housing trust fund, and promoting a vast expansion of employer-assisted housing programs.

Building Research Council Helps Develop Affordable SIP House
Working in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity International of Champaign County, the Building Research Council (BRC) of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign has developed a design for an affordable home made from structural insulated panels. The BRC first performed a comparison of ICF and SIP wall technologies in affordable housing, and then provided design and finishing details that resulted in HFHI's construction of a structural insulated panel home with fiber-cement siding. Energy savings are expected to offset the increased cost of construction in 3 years.

"Zero Energy Cottage" Demonstration Home
The Captain Planet Foundation has created a "Zero Energy Cottage." The 1500-square foot, $200,000 home emphasizes outstanding energy efficiency with an envelope made from structural insulated panels, passive cooling and heating, efficient HVAC and efficient appliances and lighting. Energy needs are largely supplied by photovoltaic panels and a solar hot water system. The home is on display in Atlanta or Washington DC through the end of 2002.

"High Performance Building and Affordable Housing"
An article in Metropolis magazine explores some of the benefits behind greening affordable housing, looks at barriers that are preventing affordable housing developers from building more sustainably, and suggests education, financial incentives and models that could help developers overcome those barriers.

Presentation on "Forging Alliances Between Environmental and Affordable Housing Interests"
The May 1, 2002 presentation in the Smart Growth Speaker Series in Washington DC, sponsored by the U.S. EPA, ICMA, the National Building Museum and the Smart Growth Network, was by Jaimie Ross, the Affordable Housing Director for 1000 Friends of Florida. Ms. Ross' presentation focused on a decade of effort by 1000 Friends of Florida and its unlikely coalition of allies, contributing to the state leading the nation with its statewide dedicated revenue for affordable housing.

Green Building Doesn't Have to Cost More, Says Expert
GreenBiz.com provides coverage of Donald Fournier's lecture at a recent conference held by the University of Illinois' Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Fournier, a research specialist in sustainable planning and
design at the University of Illinois' Building Research Council, says there are many green building actions a builder can take without increasing costs, and maybe lowering them. Fournier stressed that an integrated approach to building green, involving the whole design team and optimizing the building as a whole, is key to cost savings. 

EnergyValue Housing Award Winners Named for 2002
The EnergyValue Housing Award presented by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center recognizes builders who voluntarily incorporate energy efficiency into all aspects of home building, including design, construction, and marketing. Awards are presented in affordable, custom, factory-built, production, and innovative home categories within hot, moderate, and cold climates. Winning builders for 2002 and previous years are profiled on the website.

Affordable Housing Design Advisor Website
A new website produced under contract to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development focuses on the use of good design in affordable housing projects. The website offers a step-by-step process for designing good affordable housing, and includes case studies from around the country, illustrating excellent ideas and innovations in affordable housing design.

"Building for Affordability and Energy Efficiency"
An article from Fine Homebuilding magazine profiles a custom home built outside Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The energy-efficient home with low environmental impact was built for less than other custom homes in the area by incorporating strategies such as a square footprint and a truss roof. The house is built from autoclaved aerated concrete block, with a passive solar design that qualified for a tax credit, and low-toxicity and recycled materials.

Greening Affordable Housing Workshop Offered
The Greater Cleveland Green Building Coalition offered a professional training workshop called "Greening Affordable Housing" on April 26, 2002. The workshop was part of an ongoing series of professional training workshops that qualify participants to join Cleveland's Green Team. 

Links Between Growth Management and Housing Affordability
The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy has released a paper titled The Link Between Growth Management and Housing Affordability: The Academic Evidence. This paper is a comprehensive review of academic literature on the link between growth management and housing affordability. Contrary to a common belief that smart growth strategies lead to a lack of affordable housing, this paper concludes that sound growth management policies provide more affordable housing than traditional land use policies.

Utility Guarantees Home Energy Prices
Tucson Electric Power is one utility that guarantees the energy performance of homes constructed to the standards of its program. If the home's energy bill exceeds the Guarantee amount, the owner receives a credit from the utility. In order for a home to qualify for the Guarantee, it must be designed for balanced air, properly-sized HVAC, controlled ventilation, return air paths and combustion safety. In addition, three inspections ensure that insulation is properly installed, ducts sealed, and components functioning properly. The utility's energy experts have devised an energy efficient construction program that shows results for homeowners.

Office Renovation Combines Affordability, Sustainability
Although not a residential construction project, the renovation of the Wilderness Society's headquarters in Washington, DC, provides a helpful illustration of how modest-budget construction can still be sustainable. Strategies used for this project included reduced overall materials use, space efficiency, and reuse of materials and equipment. The Washington Business Journal provided coverage of the project.

Greenstreaming Alternative Products
The January 2002 issue of Builder magazine reports on the mainstream building industry's adoption of alternative building systems including panel walls, steel framing, and block wall systems. Although the projects featured aren't necessarily affordable, they demonstrate the benefits that ordinary builders enjoy from systems that improve building performance, promote good indoor air quality, and reduce environmental impact. 

Green Products in Affordable Houses
The December 2001 issue of Residential Architect magazine includes an article called "Saving Graces: Green Products that Will Keep Your Affordable Houses in the Black." The article touts the rapid return on investments in energy-efficient and resource-saving materials and the savings possible from compact homes. It includes examples of materials and projects from architects across the country.

HOME Rentals Stay Affordable
A recent study of rental units constructed using HUD HOME grant funds showed that 95 percent of the 253,000 units constructed by April 2001 were remaining affordable to people with low incomes. The study also found that average rent burden for households living in HOME units was 41 percent, while 80 percent of families in HOME units had incomes at or below 50 percent of the area median for their household size.

NHC Calls Affordable Housing Shortage Near Crisis
In a January 3, 2002 statement, the National Housing Conference indicated that the nation continues to face a serious affordable housing situation of near crisis proportions. Approximately one out of every seven (13 million) American families has a critical housing need, including some 4 million low- and moderate-income working families, according to the NHC. The NHC went on to say that the nation's failure to address the full measure of affordable housing needs will have a direct impact on other national concerns including the environment, transportation, access to jobs and urban sprawl.

Smaller Houses Find Favor
An article from the News Tribune tracked the rising popularity of cottage-size housing. Based on the principles of the book The Not So Big House, smaller homes with careful design detailing are finding market niches. Though these houses are not necessarily inexpensive, they illustrate design principles that can be applied to help make small affordable housing "live large." 

Survey Shows Consumers Demand Sustainable Housing
The second annual green building survey conducted by the Cahners Residential Group questioned 300 consumers and 344 residential builders on their green building preferences and practices in Fall 2001. Survey results showed that builders significantly underestimate the value customers place on a healthy environment and a healthy home. Eight in ten consumers, up from six in ten last year, reported that new homes do not meet their demands in sustaining the environment, and indicated willingness to pay more not only for energy efficiency, but also for other green building  features.

Report Connects Smart Growth with Affordable Housing
The Smart Growth Network and the National Neighborhood Coalition have jointly produced a new report that examines how smart growth can help expand the quality, supply and distribution of affordable housing. Smart Growth and Affordable Housing: Making the Connection identifies a range of policies and approaches that help achieve both smart growth and affordable housing objectives. The report provides case studies of towns, cities and states that have benefited from linking the two interrelated goals. The report is available online or in hard copy.

Montana Affordable Housing Solutions to be Published
The State of Montana Department of Environmental Quality will soon release book of energy-efficient, affordable home designs, reports the Helena Independent Record.  The plan book includes 17 designs, with two-to-four bedroom houses that range in size from 950 to 1,600 square-feet, by 12 Montana architects. The plans focus on sustainable homes that incorporate good design, recycled materials and energy efficiency, all for an affordable price. Plans in the book may be ordered for construction.

Affordable Housing and Community Development Website Available
Knowledgeplex.org, a website launched by Fannie Mae Foundation and numerous other funding partners, is providing a comprehensive interactive resource for affordable housing and community development. The extensive website provides news and online references on numerous housing- and community-related topics, including Smart Growth and Affordable Housing, and Housing Development and Finance. The website was launched on October 30, 2001 and offers free access to information.

Realtors Learn Benefits of Green Building 
A seminar for real estate professionals at the National Association of Realtors Conference in Chicago in November highlighted the benefits of green building, including fuel and water conservation, less pollution, lower maintenance costs and healthier indoor air. Green builder Pam Sessions, of Atlanta, reported that green houses cost only one-half to two percent more to build, costs rapidly offset by utility savings of more than thirty percent. Chicago Sun-Times covered the seminar.

Nonprofit Builds Community for Low-Income Neighborhoods
The Pomegranate Center, a nonprofit organization in Issaquah, Washington, gathers input from the people of low-income communities and affordable housing developments before creating its designs.  An article in The Christian Science Monitor discusses how the bus shelters, mailbox areas, benches, walls and outdoor lighting that the Pomegranate Center builds are designed to create a sense of community for neighborhood residents.

Oregon Alliance Promotes Resource Efficient Homes, Mortgages
In Oregon a coalition of home builders, mortgage finance providers, environmental and housing leaders joined Governor John Kitzhaber to announce the formation of the Oregon Sustainability Solutions Alliance, which will encourage construction and ownership of homes with increased energy and resource efficiency. Key components of the program include PGE's comprehensive Earth Advantage™ green-building program for home builders,
and the availability of Home Performance Power™, a mortgage financing initiative for home buyers developed by Fannie Mae and offered through HomeStreet Bank and Countrywide Home Loans.

Appeal of Space-Efficient Cottage Living
A feature in The Christian Science Monitor profiles several cottage developments, offering houses of less than 1000 square feet. Through careful design detailing, these homes provide a sense of delight to their owners and build community among development residents. The article reports on the popularity of cottage developments in California and Washington state. Although cottages aren't necessarily affordable housing, they demonstrate the appeal and flexibility of space-efficient design.

Advanced Housing Research Center Open House
On October 20 the Advanced Housing Research Center at the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory held an open house at its recently completed Research Demonstration House. The Research Demonstration House project showcases moisture-resistant construction techniques. The project illustrates proper design and construction practices that will help ensure longevity and durability, serves as a field laboratory for research projects that will lead to improved wood-frame housing performance, and features new housing technologies.

Illinois Passes Affordable Housing Tax Credit
In August 2001 Illinois' new affordable housing tax credit became law, reported the Chicago Rehab Network. The Tax Credit provides a fifty cents on the dollar tax credit for donations to affordable rental and for sale developments. This new credit will generate up to $26 million in new funding for affordable housing throughout the state.

Green Homes for Chicago
In March 2002, the City of Chicago broke ground for the  construction of five new affordable, environmentally-friendly and energy efficient homes in the "Green Homes for Chicago" demonstration project. The designs for the homes were selected through an international design competition. The city provided $10,000 per home in developer subsidies to assist in the adoption of green technologies. The three-bedroom homes, ranging from 1192-1951 square feet, will sell for approximately $155,000.

Texas City Mandates Energy Star Standard for New Construction
In May 2001 the city of Frisco, Texas, became the first city in the country to adopt the Energy Star program's requirements as the minimum standard for new home construction. Under the city's ordinance, new homes final platted after May 23 are required to have a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 86. Although city planners estimate it will cost builders approximately $1500 - $3000 to upgrade homes to Energy Star, Energy Efficient Mortgages and lower utility bills can offset those costs. Furthermore, applying this standard means that new homebuyers could save as much as 30-percent on their utility bills.