February 15, 2022  

Rehabilitating Historic Houses Points Toward the Future in Muncie, Indiana

HUD User publishes a series of case studies based on federal, state, and local strategies that increase affordable housing opportunities and support sustainable community development. The projects and community development efforts featured in these reports have demonstrated innovation through a multitude of partnerships and initiatives.

Following decades of post-industrial decline and the Great Recession, some officials in Muncie, Indiana, began advocating for the removal of abandoned and blighted houses in the city's historic downtown. Instead, students and faculty at Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning successfully made the case for rehabilitating these legacy houses, arguing for the ecological benefits of retrofitting existing housing rather than building new. Over the years, what began as a hands-on course for architecture students evolved into an independent nonprofit known as ecoREHAB. In addition to rehabilitating Muncie's historic homes, ecoREHAB works to strengthen the local workforce and the broader nonprofit ecosystem.

Visit HUD User's Case Studies page to learn more about affordable housing and to view other innovative community revitalization strategies.

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