Student Design & Planning Competition

Announcing the Winners of the 2023 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition!

First Place: Team 293 = The University of Illinois at Chicago

Runner-Up: Team 302 = The University of Texas at Austin

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

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.

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.