Affordable Housing Through Community Based Design On Oahu

Abstract

There is an expected housing shortage of 50,000 units in Hawai’i. 40% of these are set to be affordable, targeting an income range of 80% of area median income and below. As the least affordable location in the United States, Hawai‘i’s affordability is only expected to worsen. This study puts forward an architectural strategy to put more affordable housing on the market and fill a portion of the affordable housing void. The investigation applies mixed methods research including interviews, case studies, and historical research. The interview subjects included real estate developers, architects, politicians, social workers and leaders of organizations that are critical to creating affordable housing in Hawai’i. From this, the author strives to determine the DNA of the two most critical drivers that will form the basis of how to successfully achieve an effective affordable housing project in Hawai’i. The first driver is the process of creating a collective and collaborative design body to execute the project. The construction of this process includes both the determination of the players involved as well as the contribution that each person or organization can potentially make. The second driver is product based. It is a framework that begins to establish the important touch points that affordable housing projects in Hawai’i should address. The resulting product of the combination of these touch points is what this doctoral study strives to analyze and propose as an effective solution to a new and necessary housing typology in Hawai’i. This doctoral study attempts to differentiate itself by creating a symbiotic system based on three key pillars: the community, the profession, and the politicians. This symbiotic system fails to succeed with the omission of anyone of these pillars. In effect, it demands intimate collaboration between these three players. The omission of any one group leads to a less effective and less deliverable affordable housing product in Hawai’i. Three design projects undertaken by the author as part of a larger group in the interest of this doctoral study will demonstrate clearly how the above statement can be substantiated.