INTERNATIONAL & PHILANTHROPIC SPOTLIGHT
Global Cities and Affordable Housing: Buenos
Aires
As with many global cities, affordable housing is a pressing
challenge for residents of Buenos Aires, made worse for
renters by the 2023 devaluation of the peso. A range of
programs are working toward improving affordability, such as
the Procrear II program, which supports the creation of new
public spaces and infrastructure and complements the
National Urban Land Plan, which makes land available for
housing construction. Another program, the Self-Managed
Housing Program, is a unique government initiative that
empowers low-income residents to work as a community,
organize to acquire land, access comprehensive technical
support for architectural and construction planning, and
receive substantial financial aid to purchase building
materials.
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IN PRACTICE
Adaptive
Reuse Creates Affordable Housing for Grandparents and
Grandchildren
Mill Street Square in Paterson, New Jersey, addresses the
city’s urgent need for affordable family housing,
particularly for households with grandparents raising
grandchildren. The project transformed a vacant textile
warehouse into 74 affordable rental units, with additional
support services for custodial grandparents. The development
blends historic preservation (consulting with a historian at
Public Archaeology Laboratory) with modern building
standards (including energy-efficient components and solar
panels), incorporating the former mill building and two
historic houses into the design.
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