Form a Team. Create a Plan. Make a Real-World Impact.
Announcing the Final Four Teams for the 2023 IAH Competition!
Team 292 = University of Maryland at College Park
Team 293 = University of Illinois Chicago
Team 298 = Harvard Graduate School of Design
Team 302 = University of Texas at Austin
All submitted proposals were evaluated by a panel of industry experts in a blind review.
Teams receiving Honorable Mentions will be announced during the Innovation in Affordable Housing 2023 Final Presentations and Awards Ceremony, on April 12, 2023 at 1:00 pm EDT. Register here.
Thank you to all of the teams that participated in Phase I of this competition, and congratulations to the four finalists!
The Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition is an exciting initiative from HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R). Now celebrating its tenth year, the competition invites teams of graduate students from multiple disciplines to submit plans in response to a real life affordable housing design issue.
After the submission of initial applications, a jury of five industry subject matter experts will select four student team finalists. These finalists will visit the site of the affordable housing design and planning project they are addressing, and further refine their applications.
Several weeks after the site visit, all jurors and finalists will travel to Washington, D.C. for the final competition event at HUD Headquarters. At this event, finalist teams will present their revised project solutions in front of the jury and an audience. Following the presentations, the jury will deliberate and select the winners and runners-up. The winning team will receive $20,000, the runner up team will receive $10,000, and the remaining two teams will receive $5,000 each. If pandemic conditions are unsafe for travel, a virtual site visit and final competition event will be held.
For additional information, please visit the About the Competition page.
Registration
Registration for the 2023 IAH Competition is closed.
If you registered your intent to form a team and would like to finalize your registration, please email IAH@huduser.gov with your team’s complete information no later than December 5th at 12:00 pm (noon) ET. (See the Register a Team page for more information).
Looking for teammates to finalize your team? Looking to join a team? Use the Team Finder forum to connect with other students.
Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition 2023 Schedule
| Activity | 2022-2023 |
| Registration opens for student teams | 09/19/2022 |
| Deadline for teams to register, or register intent to compete: Noon Eastern Time | 10/24/2022 |
| Phase I site information, guidelines and criteria released | 10/25/2022 |
| Deadline for all teams to be finalized: Noon Eastern Time | 01/06/2023 |
| Deadline for teams to submit Phase I proposals: Noon Eastern Time | 01/25/2023 |
| Finalists announced; Phase II information released | 02/10/2023 |
| Site visit for finalist teams | Early March 2023 |
| Phase II submission due: Noon Eastern Time | 04/07/2023 |
| Final presentations, awards event at HUD: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Eastern Time | 04/12/2023 |
Transforming our Communities
The need for quality, affordable housing has never been greater. At its best, housing can help strengthen the social and physical fabric of communities and neighborhoods. It is the hope of HUD and PD&R that by initiating and funding this competition, a new generation will advance the design and production of livable and sustainable housing for low- and moderate-income people through research and innovation.
Making it Actionable
The IAH competition has been designed to replicate a real-life approach. Multi-disciplinary teams comprised of graduate students in architecture, planning and policy, finance and other areas will be asked to address social, economic, and environmental issues in responding to a specific housing problem developed by an actual public housing agency (PHA).
PHA Information
PD&R works with a PHA that owns and operates a site designated for the affordable housing design issue. PD&R works with the PHA to develop the necessary project briefing materials, including a comprehensive problem statement; background information on the project; community information; and relevant existing design proposals. More information for PHAs is available here.
